The Yotsuba's Trepidation
by ChristmasForJuan
Summary: At the age of 3, the Yotsuba discovered Tatsuya's destructive abilities and intended to get rid of him before he could realize his potential. However, someone aided in his escape and handed the young Tatsuya over to Major Saeki who watched over him ever since. This story will feature an original storyline while borrowing from the original setting.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

Hey everybody, this is ChristmasForJuan.

I've been enchanted by the scientific approach on magic, as well as the establish rules and variations of it's existence that Mahouka splendidly executed in the Light Novel for a while now, and as such, I have finally decided to make my mark in the Mahouka section as well. This story's premise is largely inspired by a prompt that was previously posted online by a user named "ferduran", but I have made my own twists and turns and naturally also come up with the events following the story of Tatsuya's creation, so I would advise you against preemptively dismissing this story for being unoriginal from the get go ... shameless self advertisement for the win...

In any case, just as the description says, this story will feature a version of Tatsuya before his major emotional processes were overridden to create his Artificial Magic Calculation Area. While he will still mostly act similarly due to his extensive military upbringing and training, he should also appear to be a bit more human and receptive to emotional stimulus. Naturally, he will not hold unconditional affection towards Miyuki either.  
I will keep the details of his past under wraps for now, but the circumstances behind his escape will be revealed soon enough.

Well then, hopefully this story will be to your liking.

* * *

The island of Tsushima could be said to be more of a military fortress than an island.

During the third world war, almost thirty-five years ago, the island was attacked by the Great Asian Alliance's autonomous regional forces from Korea and seventy percent of the residents were massacred. It was a flawless victory for the Great Asian Alliance, having dealt a major blow to the Japanese forces and taking hold of an important strategic location.

However, their victorious achievement didn't last for long.

Japan reclaimed the island soon after, and in the process of rebuilding it's shambled remains, transformed it into a state of the art military fortress on the frontline of Japanese territory, equipped with large scale military harbors and solid walls, complete with cutting edge anti-aircraft and anti-ship weaponry.

As such, it had effectively become a major military stronghold for the Japanese army and was also a base favored by 101 Independent Magic Equipped Battalion for multiple reasons. Currently, four core members of the 101 Battalion were gathered in the outside training field. Two were engaged in a fierce battle.

Tatsuya crossed the distance between him and Captain Yanagi in an instant and shot out an upper palm thrust with his right arm. The blow that was aimed straight at his temple hit nothing but air as Yanagi skillfully evaded the attack by ducking below it and ramming his elbow into Tatsuya's ribcage.

Tatsuya momentarily gasped for air, but regained his composure before his body had the chance to buckle over. Aiming to take advantage of Yanagi's close proximity, Tatsuya spun around, brushing off the elbow embedded in his ribs, and gathering momentum for a horizontal kick targeted straight at Yanagi's face.

Due to spinning around, Tatsuya only momentarily lost sight of Yanagi's body.

He could still feel the elbow dislodge itself, but before his movement covered the distance between himself and his sparring partner's face, Yanagi had already jumped back several meters with the assistance of Self-Acceleration Magic.

Tatsuya didn't "see" it with his eyes, but rather "observed" it with his senses.

He allowed himself to lose visual confirmation on his target only because he could monitor his actions regardless of his eyesight. As such, he was aware that his kick would only hit air if he didn't do something.

Despite having retreated quite a large distance with the assistance of magic already, it wasn't like Tatsuya couldn't use magic either.

Using the entirety of his body as a reference point, Tatsuya Flash Casted simple Movement-Type Magic. At once Tatsuya's body darted towards Yanagi's body, despite the fact that he was still in the middle of performing his roundhouse kick.

Yanagi regarded Tatsuya's approaching figure without twitching a brow and fell into a low stance.

Just when Tatsuya completed his circular movement and was about to ram his foot into Yanagi's body, the world was suddenly turned on it's head. No, perhaps it would be more correct to say that it was Tatsuya who was turned on his head.

Yanagi had used his trademark technique "Revolution", using Tatsuya's own force to redirect and reverse his internal ki. While this was originally a purely physical technique, Yanagi enhanced the technique through the application of magic.

Anyway, regardless of the workings of the technique, Tatsuya was currently flung backwards the direction he came from.

Yanagi's calm expression remained unchanged.

Tatsuya's cold expression displayed a frown.

He once again Flash Casted Movement-Type Magic, but this time not to move his body into a certain direction, but to redirect it. Adjusting the movement vector of his body to point downwards, Tatsuya used the flexibility of his body to flip around midair, and ram his foot straight into the hard ground.

Due to prioritizing hitting the ground as hard as he possibly could as opposed to cushioning his landing, his shin fractured in multiple places. However, pain failed to register in his mind as his injury was repaired before the electronic signals had the chance to travel to his brain. It was as if his injury never existed in the first place.

Tatsuya realized that depending on "Regrowth" this early on in the fight was a little bit overkill, but it wasn't like Yanagi was an opponent he could face without resorting to extreme tactics in the first place.

After the restoration of his leg was completed in an instant, Tatsuya repeatedly Flash Casted Single-Systematic Oscillation-Type Magic with his foot as the origin.

The effects of phenomena alteration overlapped and multiplied. The application of magic happened so fast that one may be led to believe that Tatsuya had casted a single powerful magic spell.

As the Oscillation-Type Magic on his foot took effect, the vibrations of his earlier stomp were massively amplified to the point of resembling a small quake, a quake directed directly under Captain Yanagi's feet.

Tatsuya was rendered temporary immobile due to his awkward landing and could thus not immediately counterattack, however, Yanagi who stood upon the churning earth should be immobilized longer than Tatsuya … if he were an ordinary soldier at least.

Yanagi counterbalanced the quake's violent vibrations with pure physical finesse and skillful distribution of his own bodily weight, and thus remained unfazed by Tatsuya's attack.

Jumping forward, Yanagi threw out his left leg like a sharp whip and aimed it directly at Tatsuya's chest.

Tatsuya immediately infused his muscles with psions, protectively positioned his arms in front of his upper body, and kicked off the ground in one smooth movement. While Yanagi still managed to land his kick, the damage was largely reduced, but Tatsuya was still violently flung backwards regardless.

Infusing your muscles purely with psions instead of acting on them with a Magic Sequence was a basic Ninjutsu technique taught to Tatsuya by Yakumo. While it wasn't a powerful technique able to inflict damage, it was undeniably valuable as it facilitated high-speed rapid movement. Additionally, since it didn't require the construction of any sort of Activation or Magic Sequence, this technique was faster even than Flash Cast.

While having taken a heavy hit from Yanagi, this actually coincided with Tatsuya's objective to put some distance between them. Thinking that, Tatsuya pulled out the Silver Silver Trident that was sheathed in a holster on his right hip.

Yanagi's reaction was instant.

He fell into a low crouch, using his body's movement and position of his limbs to construct Activation Sequences for Self-Acceleration-Type and Movement-Type Magic, bypassing the need for a CAD or hand seals, and immediately exploded into Tatsuya's direction.

In response to Yanagi's charge, Tatsuya repeatedly pulled the trigger of his favored CAD multiple times, aiming Decomposition Magic at the ground and dissolving blocks one meter in length, and width, and ten meters in height, one centimeter underneath the earths surface. The intention was to create numerous pitfall traps between himself and Yanagi to slow his opponent's advance.

Yet, despite his efforts, Yanagi continued running straight ahead, seemingly unaffected by the chasms beneath him as he simply stomped over the one centimeter thin layers of earth without collapsing them.

Tatsuya, who had been observing Yanagi's actions through the Information Dimension, realized why his efforts were in vain.

With each step that Yanagi took, he repeatedly cast Fortification-Type and a specific Movement-Type Magic that reversed the vector of the force directed into the ground by his feet, which prevented the thin layers of earth from collapsing while also salvaging twice the speed and jumping power with each of his strides.

In essence, this magic worked by altering Newton's third law of motion, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction".

Each time Yanagi stepped onto the ground, two equal and opposite motion vectors would appear on the point of contact with the ground, one would extend into the ground and the other into his leg. The more force he applied towards the ground the more powerful his step would be, or in other words, the larger the motion vector directed towards the ground, the larger the motion vector directed towards his body.

Naturally, any force directed downwards into a pitfall would immediately trigger it, but Yanagi completely reversed the motion vector directed towards the ground and skillfully directed it upwards. Along with the motion vector that was originally directed upwards, he was able to run twice as fast while exerting not a single ounce of force onto the ground. Taking this to the logical extreme, Yanagi would also be able to jump on soap bubbles and use them as footholds.

Under normal circumstances, the human body wouldn't be able to handle the massive amount of force that it was now subjected to, it simply wasn't built to handle that much force, so Yanagi also applied Fortification-Magic each time he casted the Movement-Type Vector Reversal Magic.

This was a magic of the utmost difficulty that as developed from the Ancient Magic Shinobi would use to walk on water, but was perfected to an unbelievable degree, effectively transforming into a completely new magic.

Neither Kazama nor Yakumo were unable to use this magic, meaning that Yanagi, who was it's creator, was currently the only practitioner in the world able to use it.

Of course Tatsuya wasn't just watching.

Ever since a while ago, Tatsuya had started rapidly switching between matter disintegration magic, and magic aimed at information bodies in an attempt to take apart Yanagi's Magic Sequences.

Additionally, instead of creating pitfall traps which had the original purpose of preventing Yanagi from knowing where the traps would be in the first place, Tatsuya gave up on concealing the holes and started disintegrating large chunks of earth right beneath Yanagi's feet before they could make contact with the ground.

However, Yanagi's insanely fast activation speed that even eclipsed that of the USNA Stars Commander Angie Sirius, enabled him to simply recast his magic every time Tatsuya dissolved it. Furthermore, instead of helplessly plummeting into the fissures created by Tatsuya, Yanagi would use the solid dust particles left behind by the disintegration process as footholds to continue his advance.

It was an eye popping accomplishment possible only due to his unique approach on magic.

To the eye of an untrained magician, Yanagi seemingly walked on air.

However, this didn't mean that Yanagi wasn't slowed down at all. Due to having to recast his magic and adjust it each time with the random location of the dust particles, Yanagi lost precious time.

Tatsuya took advantage of the time window and pressed the switch on his Silver Trident to switch back to Material Decomposition after just having taken apart another of Yanagi's Magic Sequences.

Pointing it to the ground, Tatsuya dissolved the top layer (one centimeter) of the ground in a one meter radius around him to create a thick layer of dust, which he forcibly flung into the air by stomping hard with his right foot that he had endowed with Flash Casted Contact-Type Oscillation Magic, creating a thick smoke screen that took out two of Yanagi's senses, his sense of sight and smell.

Tatsuya himself was not overly dependent on his five senses due to his ability to enhance his perception with Elemental Sight, and thus created an environment in which he held the advantage.

Yanagi's first reaction before charging straight into the dust cloud was to invoke Traditional Lightning Magic targeted at the individual dust particles in the air to electrocute the area inside of it, but his Magic Sequence was blown away by a cannonball of psions before it could take shape.

Just as he suspected, magic that was not his forte (long-ranged magic) took too long to construct and was thus an easy target for Tatsuya.

With a calm expression devoid of any type of emotional response, Yanagi charged straight into the fog of dust to challenge his sparring partner in his own domain.

Countless deep impact sounds and even the unpleasant noise of cracking bone could be heard from within the cloud, with the occasional outburst of psion light illuminating the two figures within.

When the dust finally settled, Tatsuya was breathlessly lying on the ground, restrained by Yanagi's knee. Yanagi's own cheek appeared to be slightly bruised.

A loud clapping noise dissolved the tense atmosphere.

Approaching the two combatants from the side, Major Kazama Harunobu and Captain Sanada Shigeru congratulated Special Lieutenant Shiba Tatsuya and Captain Yanagi Muraji on a well fought battle.

Yanagi had long since freed Tatsuya from his predicament so that the both of them could properly face their audience.

"Now now Yanagi, don't you think you were a bit too rough for a sparring exercise? If it weren't for the fact that you refrained from targeting Tatsuya-kun's vitals, I would reckon you went all out.", Kazama scolded in an amiable tone.

Yanagi nodded appreciatively and changed his tense expression into a slight smile.

"I do not believe I have the ability to face an opponent like Tatsuya and go easy. In that regard, you may overestimate my abilities. Still, I wasn't holding back in the slightest, since even though I went for Tatsuya's vitals, he expertly dodged my attacks."

"What are you implying Yanagi-san? I have still much to learn and can only hope to challenge you with my Trident, and even then, it doesn't seem like I am able to serve as an effective sparring partner for you", Tatsuya humbly replied in response to Yanagi's praise.

Yanagi was a man who perfectly embodied the meaning of the word "nonchalant", and as such receiving any sort of praise or compliment from him was a huge milestone for someone like Tatsuya, who had been training under him for several years now. After all, he was a force that remained unbeaten by Tatsuya and Kazama alike. While Yakumo hadn't faced him in battle yet, the result would likely be the same.

Picking up where Tatsuya left off, Sanada chimed in with his own opinion.

"Well, that is only to be expected. Captain Yanagi's main specialty is close-quarters anti-personal combat, while Tatsuya's is the complete opposite. Your OTH (Over the Horizon) sniping abilities are unparalleled even by the other known Strategic-Class Magicians. On the contrary, to go against Captain Yanagi and survive for this long, I believe Tatsuya deserves all kind of praise considering your young age."

"Please Captain Sanada, this level of praise is only going to make Tatsuya uncomfortable."

A comfortable laughter resounded on the battle grounds as the small group of soldiers/friends continued their relaxing conversation.

Tatsuya was unable to use Systematic-Magic.

This inability was not caused by the lack of talent, but by the absence of talent, or more specifically, the absence of a conventional Magic Calculation Area. The entirety of his Magic Calculation Area was occupied by his two innate magics "Decomposition" and "Regrowth". As a consequence of being able to wield these unfathomably powerful magics, Tatsuya was unable to process any other type of Systematic Magic.

On the other hand, this did not mean that Tatsuya was unable to execute Systematic Magic.

Thanks to his third ability, "Elemental Sight", Tatsuya was able to comprehend any magic after seeing it just once by not only analyzing the Activation Sequence, but also the Magic Sequence. While structurally similar, the Activation Sequence and Magic Sequence were fundamentally different in function. If the Activation Sequence was the blueprint for magic, then the Magic Sequence was the magic itself. In other words, the Activation Sequence was an incomplete formula which held the basic information of the magic, but was useless until processed by a magician and turned into a Magic Sequence. Tatsuya was unable to process Activation Sequences … but was able to comprehend Magic Sequences.

Due to his unique ability, he was able to memorize Magic Sequences and construct them out of memory, bypassing the need to process them in his Magic Calculation Area and allowing him to cast the magic instantaneously. While this loophole allowed Tatsuya to use Systematic Magic to an extent, it came with strict limitations.

As a result of being unable to process Activation Sequences and Magic Sequences of Systematic Magic, Tatsuya was unable to change the variables of the Magic Sequences he copied. For example, if he copied an Acceleration-Type Magic that allowed the user to dash forward for five seconds, Tatsuya would be unable to alter the duration of the dash or the velocity of the dash by himself, and had to use the magic just as he had copied it. No matter how hard he tried, he would be unable to adjust it.

While his training under the 101 Magic Equipped Battalion and Yakumo allowed him to copy a wide arrange of Magic Sequences with varying conditions, it was an undisputed fact that Tatsuya's use of Systematic Magic was severely limited. Additionally, long-term sustained magic and magic with more than five processes were difficult for Tatsuya to handle as well.

Magic with a lot of processes contained a wide array of different variables that were specifically tailored to certain situations. For Tatsuya, specific magics held little meaning due to his need for generally effective magic that he could utilize in many different combat scenarios. Additionally, magic with a lot processes, as well as long-term sustained magic, required an ample amount of interference strength to overcome the self correcting properties of the world. For long-term sustained magic, Tatsuya would have to continuously process it in his Magic Calculation Area while projecting it on targeted Eidos, which was something he was unable to do.

Taking "Niflheim" as an example, Tatsuya would, theoretically, be able to construct it's Magic Sequence from memory and cast it. However, due to him only instantaneously casting it instead of properly sustaining the magic, the effects of the magic would fail to materialize as the self correcting properties of the world would erase the anomaly before it could manifest. It would be akin to trying to freeze water by lowering the temperature to -100° for 0.001 seconds. While the temperature would surely start to drop for a single instant, it would have no lasting effect on the actual phenomena. As such, Tatsuya was limited to Flash Casting magic under five processes.

Still, five processes were more than enough for combat related scenarios. The Movement-Type and Convergence-Type Magics Tatsuya used in the spar with Yanagi were proof of that.

As if reading Tatsuya's thoughts, Major Kazama redirected the conversation back to Tatsuya.

"Now that I think about it, your entrance ceremony will be next week, won't it? I apologize in advance for not making it."

"What are you talking about? It would be ridiculous for a Major to attend the entrance ceremony of a high school he has no ties with in the first place", Tatsuya remarked in an understanding manner.

Kazama likely wasn't serious about his comment anyway.

Still, this prompted Sanada to raise a question of his own.

"I don't mean this to be insulting, but I am surprised you managed the pass the exam with your … unique condition."

"No I understand. After all, I am completely unable to execute Systematic-Magic under conventional means. I myself am surprised that I managed to get into First High by Flash Casting the required magic."

"Rather than saying they let you pass, I believe you simply shocked the examiners beyond comprehension.", Yanagi sarcastically jabbed.

While his comment seemed rude, everyone present knew that was simply the way he was. Also, it wasn't like he said anything outrageous either.

During the entrance exam, the speed of activation for Simple Systematic-Magic that Tatsuya displayed was unheard of, however, he failed to display any sort of interference strength or even to show any sort of ability for constructing complex magic systems. Tatsuya's results were simply this … absurd.

While it was written off as him having an extremely low proficiency in those two areas, it was as if he did not posses them at all … which was impossible of course.

In any case, despite that, due to his near perfect score in the theoretical portion as well as his beyond excellent activation speed, the examiners came to the agreement of admitting him, albeit as a Course 2 Student.

His peculiar case was just that intriguing.

Thankfully, examinations at the high-school level were unable to discern his ability to Flash Cast, and it was thus written off that he simply possessed a talent in activation speed due to abandoning interference strength and scale of design.

Written off as a rare case of an underdeveloped Magic Calculation Area, First High accepted him for potential advertisement purposes. They believed that once he graduated and achieved any sort of achievements despite his "disability", they would be cited as a reason to his success.

Of course, this trick would not work at university level where examinations were more thorough, but it was planned for Tatsuya to officially join the military after high-school in the first place. As sad as it was, it had become quite common for graduates to be hired by the military straight out of high-school, and thus Tatsuya's recruitment would not raise any suspicions either.

It was decided that upon graduation Tatsuya would become a proper lieutenant; a full-time soldier.

"Still…"

Tatsuya pondered loudly.

"Is it really necessary for me to enroll in High-School in the first place?"

This was a question he commonly asked ever since he was ordered to go to Middle-School. The reply had always been the same.

"Your status as a Strategic-Class magician needs to be kept confidential, so it is only natural to keep up the appearance of an ordinary High-School student to prevent any third party from becoming overly suspicious. More importantly, Fujibayashi has somehow garnered the support of Major General Saeki for her claim that you should experience an ordinary life until you join us officially, so there is nothing we can do about it no matter how much we want to employ you as a full-time soldier.", Kazama said without a hint of hesitation.

He didn't hide the fact that he valued Tatsuya's abilities more than anything else, but Tatsuya wasn't the least bit offended by it. Rather, a certain sense of pride filled them both for different reasons. Kazama's originated from the fact that he had mentored Tatsuya's growth ever since he was a child, and Tatsuya's stemmed from being able to fulfill his expectations … and exceeding them.

"That Fujibayashi… just what is she thinking … To even convince Major General Saeki, just how did she pull that off?"

"Is it really that surprising considering the circumstances?"

What exactly these circumstances were remained unspoken since everyone present was already aware of them, Tatsuya more than everyone.

Realizing that they had somehow switched from talking about Yanagi's and Tatsuya's spar to badmouthing Fujibayashi's lovable attitude, the group once again erupted in warm laughter.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

By the way, before I forget, if you have any questions. Any questions at all. Just post them either in the reviews section or write me personally. I have just re-read the entirety of available english translated novels, and have more or less researched it enough to kinda know what is going on ^^

In any case, on an even larger scale than Yanagi's vector reversal magic, I will be introducing an entire character with unique crafted magic in chapter three, so naturally there will be confusion about the inner workings of magic in general. As such, I encourage you to ask me about anything you might not be clear about. Sometimes I take it for granted that everyone knows what I am talking about, which is why I also didn't go too much into detail when talking about Tatsuya's Ninjutsu (first used against Hattori, and next seen when he fights the Parasite Dolls) or Yanagi's Return, since the knowledge of these magics should already be out.

Still, if I skip over things too fast just let me know. If you ask me in the comment section, I will answer your questions in the next chapter's release, but if you write me personally, I will naturally keep it private. Feel free to bother me ^^


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**

Hey everybody, since I noticed that I've caused a bit of a misunderstanding with my first chapter, I just wanted to take the time and clarify things.

First of all, regarding the assumption that the users "AnonymousReader", "maxe03", and "J" had about the premise of my story. While it was undoubtedly inspired by the prompt given by the user of the name of "ferduran", that is the extent of his involvement. I am aware that I am not fulfilling the challenge he imposed on aspiring writers, and that it is selfish of me to simply borrow his ideas half-assedly, but I am also aware of the fact that I wouldn't be able to write a story exactly as he had intended it to be. As such, while I am thankful to "ferduran", I won't be following his challenge step by step. In fact, the only points that have remained the same are the fact that Tatsuya was separated form the Yotsuba at a young age, and the creation of his own CAD development company. I hope you understand, and I apologize to anyone who started this story in hopes that it would be an accurate adaption of "ferduran's" challenge.

Next is a question about Tatsuya's ability to Flash Cast despite having left the Yotsuba, again asked by the same three users I mentioned before. In the first place, the method of Flash Cast the Yotsuba use greatly differs from the method that Tatsuya uses. While the Yotsuba directly carve the Activation Sequence of a magic directly into the memory of one of their magicians, a generally painful process also capable of forcing other information (such as the answers to a school entrance exam in the case of Sakurai Minami) into the mind of a magician, Tatsuya has no need for this process. In the first place, carving Activation Sequences into the mind of a magician only makes invocation more convenient and slightly faster due to not having to recall the Activation Sequence from the CAD, but in the end you still have to construct the Magic Sequence yourself. If you have slow invocation speed, that technique is useless, as your cast time would be the same even if you were to use a specialized CAD. The same would be the case for Tatsuya due to his inferior Artificial Magic Calculation Area ... if it weren't for the personalized Flash Cast he came up with himself. Due to his ability to observe and analyze information bodies directly through the Information Dimension, he can comprehend and store the Magic Sequence itself, and simply recall it whenever he wants to cast it. Without the need for constructing the magic, this is Flash Cast is truly instantaneous. While both applications of Flash Cast share the same name, they are fundamentally different in method and execution, and thus, Tatsuya shouldn't be reliant on the Yotsuba to develop his Flash Cast. In the first place, Tatsuya is brilliant enough to have come up with it himself, and he probably did, seeing as he is the only individual with the ability of Elemental Sight ... so far at least. In conclusion, Tatsuya developed his method of Flash Casting himself after repeatedly viewing Magic Sequences through the Idea and feeling the need to develop a method of using Systematic Magic himself. I have explained his use of Systematic Magic in the first chapter, but if you are unclear about anything, feel free to write me at your own convenience!

Finally, I would like to refute a statement made by "J" by agreeing with a user called "Wawv".  
Tatsuya is by no means weaker. While it is true that in this state without even an Artificial Magic Calculation Area he is unable to use Flying-Type Magic, that doesn't mean that his abilities in the field of close-quarters combat or Disintegration Magic have diminished in the least. He is still able to Flash Cast, and in the first place, his unconditional defeat against Captain Yanagi was to emphasize his dominance in the field of hand-to-hand combat, not to make Tatsuya seem weak. Yanagi remains undefeated in that field. However, likewise, Tatsuya would have been able to kill him at any given moment. Tatsuya specialized in extremely long distance killing ... no, more like annihilation. Even then, he is able of massacring anyone close to him given the chance. The only reason he lost was due to the spar being a practice match. In a real battle ... I doubt anyone able to defeat him exists.

Or maybe there is just one?

Who knows, wait for chapter 3. I have already completed the first draft of chapter 3, so I will be publishing it on Saturday. In all honesty, I am extremely excited for the reveal! Well then, I've talked for too long already, so here's chapter 2.

* * *

Today was the entrance ceremony for First High.

Since Tatsuya always rose in the early morning for training at the Kyuuchouji Temple, he didn't have to set an alarm and woke up at the predetermined time he had set for himself the night before. Not that he needed an alarm clock to wake up in the first place.

Getting up from his bed, Tatsuya walked over to the glass wall of his rooftop apartment and called forth the display monitor. The entirety of the wall was made out of switchable glass, and by adjusting the opacity, Tatsuya turned the entire eastern wall transparent to invite in the soft rays of the rising sun, bathing his apartment in the warm colors of a new day.

As to why Tatsuya lived in this overly extravagant two story rooftop penthouse suite, he had a proper explanation.

Tatsuya always had a great interest in Magic Engineering, though it wasn't clear whether this interest came from actual joy or his wish to improve the social image of magicians by cementing the role of magicians in sectors other than the military. It was for this reason also, that he wished to create a Thermonuclear Fusion Reactor powered by magic.

In any case, due to his interest in Magic Engineering, he would always tinker with machinery and CADs even at a young age, and develop multiple different models of military issue CADs with the assistance of Sanada. Noticing his talent, Sanada came to Kazama with the proposition of letting Tatsuya reach out to a third party for the development and distribution of his inventions as he was clearly limited by military restrictions. As a researcher himself, Sanada shared Tatsuya's frustration.

In the first place, the wide distribution of high quality and affordable CADs coincided with military interests as well as the goal of the 101 Battalion to create a magical military force independent of the Ten Master Clans. By empowering more and more magicians, the relevance of the Ten Master Clans would diminish, even if just for a little bit.

Kazama eventually approved Sanada's proposition, and Tatsuya reached out to the financial giant he had already had in mind, namely the Kitayama Group. He came to them with the proposal not as a member of the military, but as Shiba Tatsuya. His connection with the military was strictly confidential after all.

Still, as an ordinary civilian Tatsuya did not have much of a chance to be noticed by the immensely powerful Kitayama group, but contrary to his expectations, the reply came within the week. Kitayama Ushio, the acting president, personally reached out to Tatsuya and expressed his eager desire to sponsor his endeavor in return for becoming a major shareholder.

An agreement was made soon after.

Tatsuya would be solely responsible for research and development, while Kitayama Ushio would take care of everything else. While it seemed rather unfair to let the Kitayama group shoulder the entire burden of the cost, Tatsuya's ideas were just that groundbreaking.

The advent of "KitayamaTech" was heralded with the coming of the widely popular Silver Series and the discovery of the Loop Cast system. In a single night "Kitayama Tech" suddenly dominated the local CAD market and revolutionized modern technology.

Tatsuya was in charge for software development, while a skilled technician by the name of Ushiyama was hired to take care of hardware engineering. Collectively known as "Taurus Silver", the Kitayama group started yet another chapter in their prosperous history.

Needless to say, Kitayama Ushio was overly fond of Tatsuya, and only a few weeks after their partnership, Ushio would start to frequently invite Tatsuya for dinners and small gatherings with other members of high-society.

Due to their growing friendship, Tatsuya would naturally come to befriend Ushio's similarly aged daughter, Kitayama Shizuku, and the two of them had grown closer ever since. One thing had led to another, and he was eventually also appointed as her personal engineer.

Now, this close relationship came with an unexpected issue.

Both Ushio, Shizuku, and even her younger brother, who had become increasingly fond of Tatsuya, began to suggest that Tatsuya live with them in the Kitayama residence. It didn't help that it made logical sense to do so since the Research Lab for KitayamaTech was but a ten minute train ride away from their home.

However, Tatsuya had his own feelings on that matter.

The success of the company was only possible due to Ushio's sponsorship, and due to having received and abundant amount of kindness and support from the Kitayama family already, Tatsuya could not live with himself if he took advantage of their kindness any more than he already did.

This was how Tatsuya truly felt. He realized that the Kitayama group wouldn't mind in the slightest, but that only made his conviction stronger.

Regardless, the father, daughter, and son trio wouldn't give up so easily.

As a compromise, they offered that he rent out a room in one of the Kitayama's apartment buildings that was newly constructed. Not only was it just five minutes away from the Research Lab, it was also fairly close to the Kitayama grounds as well. It was a fair comprise to which Tatsuya eventually agreed due to his residence at that time being quite a distance away from KitayamaTech.

Before Tatsuya moved in however, Ushio had renovated the topmost floors, connecting them, and turning the second floor of the suite into a fully functional state of the art CAD maintenance room that doubled as Tatsuya's office. This was all done without Tatsuya's knowledge.

Tatsuya privately scrutinized Ushio for his wasteful spending at the time, but found it to be quite convenient, and was thus reluctantly grateful to Ushio.

To make amends in some way, Tatsuya stubbornly insisted on paying the full monthly rent with the earnings he made as Silver Taurus, ignoring Ushio's insistence that there really was no need to and that Tatsuya should consider it an investment in future assets.

Thus, somehow, Tatsuya had ended up living in this extravagant apartment.

By the time Tatsuya was done thinking about this pointless memory he was already heading outside the door. He had decided to skip his usual training at Yakumo's temple today and headed straight for the station, appropriately clad in the school uniform of First High.

Waiting for him, also clad in the school uniform of the same school, was Shizuku.

Due to their close proximity as well as their friendship, it had been unofficially decided that Shizuku and Tatsuya would head to school together. Since Tatsuya's station was closer to school, Shizuku would wait for him at the station. Tatsuya had initially offered to meet her at her own household, but Shizuku denied his polite offer with logic and was thus waiting on Tatsuya, instead if being the other way around.

"Good morning Shizuku."

"Morning", Shizuku curtly nodded.

Tatsuya had long since gotten used to her curt manner of speech and thus didn't bat an eye at her seemingly impolite greeting. Rather, it would be more appropriate to say that this was how she expressed her fondness.

Getting into a railcar together, Tatsuya was the first one to start up the conversation.

"By the way, wasn't Honoka supposed to come and meet us before we went to school?"

Honoka was a close friend of Shizuku's ever since they were little and secretly considered as a second daughter of the Kitayama clan due to the familial relationship she shared with them. Rather than saying it was weird to see the two together all the time, it was more unnatural for them to be apart.

"She called in the morning … the very early morning, saying that she would be waiting for us at school. She probably didn't sleep tonight. What a child."

"I guess that part of her never changes", Tatsuya carefully agreed, noting the small bags present under Shizuku's eyes also.

They quickly arrived at the school's gate while talking about their mutual friend, and just as they had expected, Honoka was excitedly waiting for them, a lively attitude radiating from her body.

"Good morning Shizuku! Good morning Tatsuya!"

Even her greeting seemed overly energetic.

After Tatsuya and Shizuku returned the greeting, Honoka immediately dominated the conversation with her next suggestion.

"Hey! Did you guys hear? Apparently this year's freshman class representative is supposed to be incredibly beautiful as well as being amazingly talented! Maybe we can get an early glance of her if we head over to the auditorium early? Do you want to go? Ah, we should also reserve good seats!", she rambled on with glittering eyes.

In fact, there really was no need to hurry as they had already come to school one hour early due to Honoka's insistence.

Shizuku gave of a tired sigh, but it was obvious to Tatsuya that it was fake. Her eyes seemed to be especially vibrant today.

"Fine, I'll accompany you Honoka", and as such she agreed to Honoka's suggestion.

"What about you Tatsuya?"

"Actually I would prefer to go on a short walk first before heading to the auditorium. I'll make it short, so head over before me and secure some good seats."

"Oh…", Honoka's expression visibly dimmed, but that was only momentarily.

Tatsuya felt bad for not joining them, but he had already decided that this was what he was going to do.

"Don't worry, we will meet up soon."

Tatsuya cheered up Honoka while also cementing his decision.

"Well, if you say so… Well then, we'll be off!"

Honoka regretfully/joyfully stated while Shizuku simply nodded in his direction.

Tatsuya genuinely smiled in response to their excited attitudes, and watched over their backs like a parent accompanying his children on their first day of school, the only difference being that he wasn't their father. Once they disappeared around the corner, Tatsuya turned to a path lined with vital trees and decided to search for a comfortable spot to sit down and pass time until the start of the ceremony.

There was no reason for Tatsuya to purposefully separate himself from the mistresses of the Kitayama household (at this point Honoka was regarded as one of them already, whether she was aware of it or not). Unlike his affiliation with the military, it wasn't like his relationship with them was a secret or anything. The reason for him seeking isolation was much more simple than that.

"Isn't that kid a Weed?"

"He's early … he sure is enthusiastic for a reserve."

"In the end, he's just a spare."

As he passed a group of upperclassmen, these were the whispers he was subjected to.

Despite calling them whispers, their volume was barely lowered enough to constitute as such, prompting one to believe that it may have been intentionally kept at a level that was within hearing range of Tatsuya.

That was the reason he did not want to be seen together with Honoka and Shizuku.

It was obvious that neither of them cared for the differences of first course and second course, but it was Tatsuya's own selfishness that prompted him to this course of action.

Especially when in the presence of these adolescent beauties, Tatsuya's incomplete uniform would only stand out all the more and invite a needlessly negative atmosphere, even more so when considering that Honoka and Shizuku would naturally mingle with First Course students.

Of course he couldn't distance himself from them forever, nor did he intend to, but he at least wished not to interfere with their first meeting with their fellow classmates. He also wasn't keen on purposefully placing himself in a position that was guaranteed to invite conflict.

Realizing that Shizuku and Honoka, Honoka more so, would seriously scold him if they found out about that self-deprecating attitude of his, Tatsuya couldn't suppress a wry smile as he continued walk down the path adorned by spring themed trees in full bloom.

* * *

Having found a comfortable spot next to the vivid tree line, Tatsuya had immersed himself in reading for almost half an hour already. Believing this to be a good time to head back, he was about to stand up when his action was interrupted by a feminine voice.

"Are you a new student? It's almost time for the ceremony."

Directing his attention towards the origin of the voice, Tatsuya's eyes were occupied by the enchanting appearance of a maidenly woman. Her fitting uniform delicately hugged the contours of her charming body and marked her as a student of the same school, furthermore a first course student. The fashionable CAD around her left wrist also implied her affiliation with either the student council, the public morals committee, or the club activities group.

"… thank you, I'll be on my way", Tatsuya's reply was slightly delayed due to being briefly captivated by her charm.

While he should have already been used to beautiful women due to having spent a lot of time with Fujibayashi, whom he considered to be especially attractive, Fujibayashi's nature of beauty was more approachable than it was alluring, and thus led to Tatsuya's delayed reaction to the woman before him.

"I'm impressed. A screen type?", the woman innocently asked with genuine curiosity.

Still, Tatsuya was surprised by her inexplicable friendliness. They barely knew each other, but here she was conversing with him without a single worry clouding her mind. Additionally, wasn't it her herself who had said that the ceremony would start soon?

Tatsuya was unclear about her actions, and thus cast a slightly suspicious but mainly inquisitive look her way.

"Our school disallows the use of virtual display terminals. But yet, it's regrettable that many students still use the virtual display type. However, you are using the screen type even before enrolling into the school."

"The virtual type is not suitable for reading."

Anyone could tell that his terminal was a seasoned one with one look, so she did not bother asking further. Tatsuya meant nothing with his response, but for some reason the woman's eyes slightly widened with surprise.

"Instead of watching animation, you read huh? This is even rarer. I also prefer book-based information to animation-based ones, so I'm kind of happy."

Her smiling expression was flawless. It would not be out of place in a modeling advertisement or on the front cover of a fashion magazine. Being the recipient of such a smile, Tatsuya simply wondered whether her attitude was truly this openly friendly.

"Ahh, I beg your pardon. I'm the student council president of the First High School, Saegusa Mayumi. Written as 'seven grass', read as Saegusa. Nice to meet you."

Even though she added a wink at the end, there was not a hint of wonder in her tone. With a pretty girl's looks and together with a well-proportioned body despite her small frame, she radiated such an alluring atmosphere that it would not be surprising if newly matriculated male students misunderstood her intentions. She was definitely aware of her own appearance and manner of presenting herself, which only deepened Tatsuya's suspicions.

That was the only reason he didn't succumb to that wink … though he couldn't deny a slight skipping of his heartbeat.

 _"A number... and to top it off a Saegusa."_ , still that wasn't enough to shut out Tatsuya's thought process completely.

The name that was dropped like a bombshell returned him to his usual attitude. After all, it wasn't a name that could be easily ignored.

In response to a greeting from a woman that was practically royalty, Tatsuya offered his own name.

"My name is Shiba Tatsuya."

"Shiba Tatsuya-kun... I see. You are that Shiba-kun huh…"

Mayumi crossed her arms and adapted a thinking position.

"Among the teachers, you have been quite a hot topic. Out of a hundred marks, the average mark of all seven subjects in your entrance exam was ninety-six. Especially, the best were Magic Theory and Magic Engineering. Even though the average mark of those who passed was no more than seventy, you got a perfect grade without a hitch for both subjects that had essay-based questions. It's an unheard of record high."

Tatsuya was a bit taken aback at the sudden offer of abundant praise. Being praised by such a talented member of the Ten Master Clans, a Saegusa to boot, was something an aspiring magician could only dream off. In response to this straightforward praise, Tatsuya offered his usual humble response he used when conversing with his superiors in the 101 Battalion.

"Those are merely paper test results. They are just data inside an information system."

Still, Mayumi simply brushed away his words like nothing.

"That kind of terrific score, at the very least, I won't be able to reproduce that, you know? I may not look like it, but I'm really much stronger in theory-based subjects. If my entrance exam had the same questions, I definitely wouldn't be able to score such a high mark like you, Shiba-kun."

Tatsuya, much like any other moderately modest person, felt increasingly uncomfortable at being the recipient of such a tidal wave of praise. Combined with the uncanny gut feeling that Mayumi was for some reason acting on ulterior motives, such as playfully teasing underclassmen that had no way of resisting her advances yet (that too he had experienced in the 101 Battalion, albeit in a more physical manner) Tatsuya felt the need to escape her increasingly charming attitude.

Not the point of being captivated, but Tatsuya was surely becoming more and more aware of her lovely appearance.

As such…

"It's about time... please excuse me."

…he offered a curt apology and excused himself. While a slightly dissatisfied expression briefly flashed across Mayumi's lips, Tatsuya breathed a sigh of relief once her body was no longer visible.

* * *

The entrance ceremony caused quite a ruckus with the appearance of the rumored freshman class representative. Due to Tatsuya sitting in the back row with two other second course students he befriended (he would apologize later to Shizuku and Honoka for not meeting up with them) he couldn't make out her exact facial features, but it was undeniable that she seemed to be an attractive young woman.

In the end, the ceremony came to a peaceful conclusion and the different classes were gradually being filled with their respective students. With the new acquaintances he had made, two girls by the name of Shibata Mizuki and Chiba Erika, and a boy introducing himself as Leo, Tatsuya and company headed towards the cafeteria to eat lunch. Catching sight of each other, Tatsuya naturally headed over to the three man group composed of Shizuku, Honoka, and a certain other girl.

"Hello Shizuku, Honoka. It seems you've already made a new friend."

"Wasn't it you who abandoned us?", Shizuku coldly stated with a scowl.

It seemed that they were more upset than he had expected.

"I'm sorry but with so many people I couldn't make out your figures. I sent you a message just before the start of the ceremony, didn't I?", Tatsuya's blatant lie remained unnoticed.

Still, it was true that he had notified Shizuku and Honoka of his (false) predicament, so there was no way they could hold that against him. Softening the scowl on her face, Shizuku shifted her attention to the colorful bunch behind Tatsuya.

"Right, these are some of my new classmates. This is Chiba Erika, her name is Shibata Mizuki, and he prefers to be called Leo."

As was custom, the two groups naturally introduced each other as they sat down to partake in their lunch. Things seemed to be going well, until it was finally Tatsuya's turn to be introduced to the freshman class representative.

"… and his name is Shiba Tatsuya"

"Nice to meet you Shiba-kun, my name is Shiba Miyuki."

Finally facing Miyuki directly, Tatsuya was violently confronted by her overwhelming beauty. Overwhelmed was putting it lightly, he was temporarily stunned.

However, his admiration soon turned into something else.

The impression the girl named Miyuki made on him slowly took a darker turn as admiration turned into mere appreciation, laced by a tinge of disgust. She was undoubtedly perfect, yes, but her perfection approached the realm of artificiality. The more he regarded her to more this feeling of his seemed to affirm itself in his mind, the feeling that she likened a puppet more than she did a human being.

Admiration turned into appreciation. This meant that his admiration for her as a human being, turned into appreciation for an artistic piece.

He irrefutably acknowledged her beauty, but he did so in the same manner one would acknowledge the beauty of a painting. As soon as this line of thought permeated Tatsuya's consciousness, he lost all interest in the existence that was Miyuki and therefore gained immunity to her womanly charms.

Contrary to the epiphany that Tatsuya was subjected to, or maybe even because of his unfazed reaction towards her appearance, Miyuki developed a certain interest in the man named Tatsuya as he was the first of the many men she met to display this type of reaction. She had become accustomed to the distasteful stares of men to the degree that she didn't acknowledge their existences anymore, but as she witnessed Tatsuya's unique reaction, it was only natural for her to become curious to the reasons behind his demeanor.

Interrupting their line of thought, it was Erika that cheerfully commented on the laughable coincidence surrounding their name.

"First it's Shibata, Chiba and Shiba, but now we have two Shibas. What are the odds?"

"Despite the surname Shiba being well spread, it really is too much of a coincidence for two Shibas to be in the same year isn't it?", Tatsuya ominously stated.

However, while Tatsuya meant this as a joke, Miyuki's expression was anything but.

Her face contorted with shock and disbelief; an unlikely assumption hit her like a sledgehammer.

Miyuki was born with an exceptionally powerful Outer-Systematic Mental-Interference Magic that she inherited from her mother, and was thus very sensitive to to matters dealing with the mind. Mental-Interference Magic dealt with Pushions more than it did with Psions, so Miyuki's perception of the soul was more accurate than that of other magicians.

Naturally, she wasn't able to directly view Pushions like Mizuki, nor was she able to perceive them like Ancient Magic practitioners, but at least she was able to sense remnants of her own mother's Outer-Systematic Magic left behind in the Magic Calculation Area of her victims.

The moment this realization sunk in, her consciousness practically froze.

Miyuki knew next to nothing about Tatsuya's past, but for some reason an old memory resurfaced in her mind. At a young age, she was told by her mother's guardian that not long before her conception, her mother had birthed a child other than herself, and that the child had died at birth.

She had never questioned that information, but at the same time, never truly believed in it either.

It was said that magicians capable of welding powerful Mental-Interference Magic were closely connected to the Akasha Record, an assumption that was neither proven nor refuted, and it was thus said that the intuition of such magicians bordered on clairvoyance.

Miyuki had always felt that her brother was alive.

That careless thought was never more than a playful fantasy to entertain the lonely mind of a lonely child.

No more than a hunch.

However, right here, right now, she laid her eyes on a person that had seemed to emerge straight from her dreams.

Her deceased mother's Mental Interference magic marked his soul brighter than a dying star, and that was all the proof she needed.

That person.

That man.

He was her…

"Onii-sama…?", Miyuki silently whispered with trembling eyes.

Tatsuya's expression immediately hardened, and the stares of everyone present converged in on Miyuki. Even without her unusual behavior, the words she spoke garnered enough attention.

"Ahh… I- I apologize!", upon realizing the awkward atmosphere, Miyuki immediately snapped out of her trance and repeatedly bowed while fervently apologizing; whom she was apologizing to was unclear.

"Do you have a brother Miyuki?", Shizuku asked to ease the uncomfortable mood.

"I … no. I am a single child, but Shiba-kun just reminded me of someone I thought I knew. Please forgive my rudeness", still, Miyuki's excessive apologies only worsened the mood.

As if having sniffed out their golden opportunity, a group of freshmen males, with flower emblems of course, approached the table and asked whether or not Miyuki would like to have lunch with them.

This was blatant and rude as it was obvious that she had already eaten half of her food with another group, but in a sense everyone was grateful for their offer. Miyuki more so than everyone else.

She immediately caught onto the lifeline thrown her way and excused herself from Tatsuya's group. Nobody objected. As she left however, her thoughts still lingered onto Tatsuya's case. If Tatsuya really was her brother, wouldn't that also make him a Yotsuba? If so, then why was he a second course student, and more importantly, why was she never informed of his existence? The imprint of her mother's magic undoubtedly proved his connection to Shiba Miya.

Deciding that she would contact her aunt before the end of school, Miyuki could barely wait until lunch was over.

* * *

After school, Tatsuya, Shizuku, and Honoka were heading home together as they shared a railcar. Their first day was unexpectedly exhausting, even more so after the peculiar incident involving Shiba Miyuki during lunch.

Consequentially, that incident had become the main topic of their conversation.

"What I am saying is, why Onii-sama? Wouldn't she normally refer to someone she knew by their name?"

"Well, everyone has their own way of referring to people. Maybe she simply holds that person in high regard?"

"I'm not convinced. Her attitude was just too weird. I could understand if she mistook you the moment she met you, but you exchanged proper greetings and everything. Only after a while did she start to falter."

"Maybe she is a bit slow?"

"She doesn't give off the impression of an airhead though. Still the fact that she shows this much interest in you… She would be a strong opponent."

"Are you saying you want to challenge her to a duel?"

"Waahh! Shizuku stop saying that!"

"Why? You aren't going to do anything unless I encourage you, right?"

"I-… but …"

"Seriously just what you guys talking about?"

While relieved that they had finally abandoned that bothersome topic, Tatsuya was even more troubled by the references that Shizuku shamelessly dropped while eyeing him and Honoka. He wasn't dense, or rather, one didn't need a particularly sharp perception to figure out what they were talking about.

However, before Tatsuya could do anything about their conversation … a frightfully large amount of psions suddenly enveloped their car. This wasn't a random disorganized cloud, but rather a powerful Magic Sequence. It's deployment was incredibly fast, and the interference strength was otherworldly. It was beyond a level that Honoka and Shizuku could imagine even in their wildest dreams.

It was useless to even try and erect a field of data fortification in face of this godly might. Without even knowing the identity of their attacker, nor the motive behind the attack, all blood gushed out of their faces as they came to the realization that they were about to die.

Before the magic had the chance to act on the Eidos around them however, the Magic Sequence was forcibly ripped apart into a meaningless shred of psions.

Tatsuya was standing in the middle of the cabinet, his arm outstretched and firmly holding onto his CAD. He acted immediately, and pulled the emergency lever built into the railcar to manually eject the top portion of the cabinet.

"Shizuku, Honoka, get out now!", Tatsuya commanded in an authoritative tone while jumping out himself.

The Silver Trident in his right hand was never lowered. It accurately pointed at the person standing in the middle of the rail-tracks.

"Miyuki…?", Honoka muttered in disbelief.

Miyuki coldly regarded the three of them. She seemed like a completely different person. As if the Miyuki they had met at school was just a fake, as if the Miyuki they had met at school never existed.

Another Activation Sequence with the aim of cooling everything in a targeted area down to subzero temperatures was deployed after her delicate fingers danced on the surface of her tablet shaped CAD, but this time it was blasted away before it even turned into a Magic Sequence.

Miyuki's expression gave away her frustration at the fact that her magic had essentially become useless.

Without uttering a single sentence, Miyuki lowered the arm holding her CAD, but a certain degree of determination began to manifest itself in her posture nonetheless.

In that moment, the world around her froze.

Tatsuya was shocked beyond disbelief.

That was only to be expected. This was the first time that Tatsuya witnessed a magic that he was unable to comprehend. Blatantly ignoring her CAD, Miyuki activated this magic through sheer will. Neither an Activation nor a Magic Sequence manifested. There was no design, no structure, no information for Tatsuya to analyze. Helplessly aware of the approaching tundra, Tatsuya was unable to act. In the truest sense of the word, the magic Miyuki currently deployed was what should be called Real Magic.

His omniscient power of analysis and comprehension had become his downfall, as his over reliance on it had now rendered him unable to act. In a sense, because Tatsuya was so incredibly powerful, he was the one most affected by this turn of events.

That wasn't the case for Shizuku though.

Obviously, she too could feel a certain sense of dread building up inside her heart, but she was also unable to place that primal fear. As such, her survival instincts took over her bodily movements and overrode the fact that he woman standing before her was her fellow classmate.

Instinctively pulling out her personally customized Silver Horn, loaded with her most powerful magic, Shizuku reflexively fired a blast of Phonon Mazer towards Miyuki before the mysterious magic was able to reach them.

This allowed Tatsuya to regain his wits.

Shizuku's talent lay in High-Output Vibration and Acceleration Magic that were under the category of Oscillation-Type Magic. She was a borderline genius in her field, who managed to master the high-class magic Phonon Maser at the tender age of fifteen, and as such, was confident to outclass anyone in the use of Oscillation-Type Magic.

Even so, this was the day she would clash with a true genius.

The powerful blast of Phonon Maser was shot towards Miyuki with unprecedented speed, however, before it was able to reach it's target, Miyuki reigned in her Mental-Interference Magic and let her fingers fly across her CAD once more, invoking another magic in an instant.

Phonon Maser was a magic that raised the number of supersonic oscillations to the point at which it would form a quantum heat ray. To combat that frighteningly powerful magic Miyuki used "Deceleration Zone", a wide area Oscillation-Type Magic that could indiscriminately slow down the movement of any targeted object that would enter the established area. While a common magic, it was generally used to slow the movement of a single target.

Under Miyuki's command however, she erected not a full circle, but a several centimeter thick circular barrier around her that slowed anything within it's parameter. Additionally, while that magic was generally meant for slowing down movement of larger physical objects, Miyuki's mighty power exceeded that limit.

Coming in contact with that barrier, the supersonic oscillations that made up Shizuku's Phonon Maser seemingly dispersed into nothingness. No ordinary magician could ever hope to accomplish such a feat, but before Tatsuya's eyes, that common knowledge was overridden by the majestic performance of a single girl.

Cold sweat ran down Tatsuya's brow as he realized the danger they were in.

"Shizuku, enable Loop Cast on your CAD and destroy anyone or anything that approaches you. Honoka, erect a light refracting barrier around yourself and Shizuku to hide yourself from sight. Get away of here. Now!"

There was no room for disobedience. The tension in his voice and body were not for show. Tatsuya was truly worried about their safety if they remained in this place any longer. Both Shizuku and Honoka begrudgingly accepted that they would be of no help to Tatsuya … that they were what held him back.

Tatsuya was aware of the pained and worried looks that were aimed at his back, but there was no way he could subject Shizuku or Honoka to any further danger. As long as he could get them away from Miyuki, they had a chance of survival. He did not feel guilty for forcing them to leave.

The pair simply nodded and ran off to the nearest exit leading down from the railway tracks they were standing on. Any words of encouragement or reassurance seemed to be unnecessary.

Once he confirmed the activation of Honoka's optical camouflage, Tatsuya focused his attention on Miyuki once more.

"Why are you attacking us? Who is behind this attempt?"

Miyuki remained silent.

"No carts have passed us in quite a while now despite this line being rather crowded during this time of the day. I don't know how you managed to hack into the public transportation system, but even the Ten Master Clans would be hard pressed to execute an operation of this scale in a short notice. I don't know if you are affiliated with foreign forces or not, but an organization of this scale wouldn't be hard to find. You might as well just spit it out now. And don't even think about stalling. Even though you hacked the transportation system and most likely disabled magic sensors and public surveillance, a system breach of this scale is bound to be noticed sooner or later no matter how skilled your hacker is. You have ten minutes at most."

This time, finally, it seemed as if Tatsuya's interrogation produced some results.

"You are a liability to the Yotsuba, and therefore must be captured. Dead or alive, even your corpse will do."

"Yotsuba…?"

Tatsuya betrayed a sense of surprise. A foreign criminal organization would have already rated as far fetched, but the Yotsuba? The mere mention of the name sent chills down his spine.

Regardless, Tatsuya tightened the grip on his CAD and pressed on.

"Then why me? What is the reason behind my apprehension?"

Tatsuya finally managed to break Miyuki's ice cold mask. She visibly faltered under the question, and her body language highlighted her distress. Amidst that motion, Miyuki returned the CAD to her pocket.

 _"Is she willing to negotiate?"_

However, when she looked him in the eyes again, her pressure doubled in size.

"Because you are my Onii-sama!"

The world froze for a second time as her Mental-Interference Magic activated once more.

 _"Onii-sama? Me? A Yotsuba?"_ , there was no deceit in her gaze, but likewise, maybe it was her who had been deceived.

Still, Tatsuya forced these speculations to the back of his mind as he focused on the approaching threat. While he had panicked the first time he witnessed this mighty magic, he would not fall victim to the same hesitation twice in a row.

Without the need to specify three targets this time and being able to solely concentrate on Tatsuya, the deployment and expansion of Miyuki's magic was twice as fast when compared to the first time she used it. However, Tatsuya had already made up his mind and had decided on a plan of action if she were to rely on this magic one more. As such, his magic activated just an instant faster.

Tatsuya did not know how to stop this magic.

He was unable to discern it's effects, nor was he able to notice any weaknesses in its structure. Against a magic that he did not know how to halt, the only way to stop it was to eradicate it's user.

Usually, simply knocking the caster unconscious would have been sufficient, but as this was the first time Tatsuya faced such a powerful Mental-Interference Magic, Tatsuya worried that it might continue even when the user was knocked out. After all, Miyuki had activated her magic simply with intent and will, both of which were impulses that transcended into the subconscious realm.

Even in the case for Systematic Magics with few processes, once the Magic Sequence was deployed and directed onto the Eidos, the phenomena alteration would continue even if the magician were to be knocked out. The continuous input on the side of the magician was only necessary for long-term sustained magics with multiple processes. In that case, even if she were knocked unconscious, the magic may continue to exist by feeding off of Miyuki's subconscious that Tatsuya had no control over.

As such, despite aware that she was an interrogation target of the highest priority, Tatsuya came to a cold-hearted conclusion.

Having previously prepared his Silver Trident for Material Decomposition Magic, Tatsuya pulled the trigger.

Miyuki's wretched scream of pain was the only remainder of her existence as her body crumbled into dust.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**

Hey everybody, first of all I just want to offer a quick explanation over the fact that I published two chapters instead of one. Not that the reason is complicated or anything, it's just that my internet is apparently incapable of handling uploads larger than 6,000 words ...  
In any case, I just hope the unexpected divide in the middle of the chapter doesn't bother you or interrupt the flow (as if my story even had that in the first place T.T).

In any case, I now regret that I ended the first chapter the way I did without including the appearance of "him", as I have unfortunately caused a large misunderstanding. The first chapter was actually meant to incorporate a particular appearance of a certain character, but due to the limitations of my internet connection I decided to leave it at the length it is now. Being an integral part of any Mahouka related story, I intended the event to serve more as a spark for curiosity rather than to act as a definitive statement, but I seem to have forgotten that this is FanFiction, and as such, any possible scenario is possible.  
I once again apologize for my careless mistake, but if you were to consider it seriously, would any Mahouka story be complete without her? Whether as an adversary or protagonist, she stands at the very core of the Future of Japan (in the Mahouka universe) as a whole. I may be over-glorifying her, so just let me assure you that I do not consider her as a romantic option for Tatsuya at all, but her involvement in his life is to some extent mandatory nonetheless.

Before I bore you any further, here is the continuation of the Yotsuba's Trepidation.

* * *

Shizuku's and Honoka's hearts were beating out of their chests as they continued to force their tired bodies forward. Shouldering the burden for the both of them, the constant maintenance of the light refracting barrier Honoka had erected around themselves had begun to weigh heavily on her conscious to the point where she had to rely on Shizuku to guide her step. However, regardless of their exhaustion, they continued on.

Whether fortunate or not, Miyuki had attacked them not too far from Shizuku's home station. The pair had thus mutually decided to seek out shelter on the Kitayama grounds first before calling for the police or asking Kitayama Ushio to contact the Morisaki or the Chiba for aid. For an influential man like Ushio, these requests lay in the realm of possibility.

Due to the haste of getting themselves to safety as soon as they could, which coincided with Tatsuya's directive, the pair had not yet contacted the police by themselves. While calling the local authorities should have usually been their top priority, Shizuku and Honoka were also aware of the tight web of magic sensors and surveillance cameras that tirelessly recorded any misuse of magic. The magic power Miyuki had displayed would have undoubtedly alarmed the local police department, and a group of policemen should have long been on their way.

Unfortunately, while the pair's minds were rational enough to keep this in mind, they weren't calm enough to consider the fact that their enemy was a group powerful enough to shut down the entire surveillance system in the area altogether. As such, they two of them valiantly continued running.

As if by some unlikely stroke of luck, they didn't have to run for long.

Honoka immediately cancelled her Magic Sequence and collapsed on the floor as she allowed relief to relax her mind for just a second. Shizuku caught her limp body before it reached the asphalt and called out to the person in front of them.

"Saegusa-senpai!"

Even without her plea, Mayumi had immediately noticed their presence and was rushing over with a worried expression. As she didn't know them personally there was no reason for her quickened haste, but since talented magicians were valuable resource for society they were naturally placed under protection of the Ten Master Clans.  
Most importantly, they were her precious underclassmen.

"Kitayama-san! Mitsui-san! What happened?!"

"I- We… It's Tatsuya …. h-he is all alone…"

"Mitsui-san calm down! Tell me what happened", Mayumi realized that her face was sterner than she intended, but she couldn't offer her assistance if Honoka continued talking in incomprehensible sentences.

"I…"

"We were attacked on our way home by Shiba Miyuki. She stated her affiliation with the Yotsuba and attempted to kill us. Before she could harm us, Tatsuya sent us away and his currently battling her all by himself", Shizuku curtly interrupted Honoka and gave Mayumi a quick rundown of the events.

"Shiba-san and … Shiba? Yotsuba!? Are you sure about this?"

Mayumi didn't mean to doubt their explanation, but the mention of the name Yotsuba simply prompted this reflexive response. After all, it was completely unheard of for them to be acting in such a flamboyant manner.

Shizuku didn't respond and merely affirmed her report with a nod.

Mayumi got the hint and helped Honoka to her feet. There was no time to waste.

"Saegusa-senpai, I know this isn't our place to ask you something like this … but please help Tatsuya!"

Mayumi seemed as if she was ignoring their request as she blankly stared into the empty air. Only after a full second did she focus her attention on the pair of underclassmen.

"The Kitayama mansion is not far from here right? Head over there immediately. There is no need to enable optical camouflage since all five of your attackers seem to have gathered here already."

"What?!"

"Are you serious?!"

It was not surprising that Shizuku and Honoka were shocked. Even though Honoka's camouflage wasn't perfect due to the complexity and detail of their suburban surroundings, it would have been extremely hard to pinpoint their location if one hadn't been following them from the very beginning. Let alone notice them, they were completely unaware of the existence of people shadowing them. Mayumi on the other hand had not only noticed them immediately, but also confirmed their numbers and whereabouts. As expected of her Extra-Sensory Perception Magic "Multi-Scope".

"Get to safety as soon as you can and contact the police. Even though it is unlikely they could have hacked into the public surveillance system … no that might actually be the case. Call the police, but keep the details of this incident a secret. Anything regarding the Yotsuba or the Shibas is classified."

Shizuku and Honoka hesitantly nodded. Again, they had been easily shoved to the sidelines, unable to help Tatsuya. Yet they were also painfully aware of their powerlessness and could therefore just swallow their reluctance.

However.

"Please … please save Tatsuya!", Honoka begged with tears threatening to spill from her wavering eyes.

"Don't worry, leave everything to your senpai. I promise to return him in one piece.", Mayumi reassuringly vowed with a cute expression.

Of course, this was to defuse the overbearing tension.

Mayumi turned towards the enemies that had given up on hiding while placing the hurried footsteps at her back. Pulling out her CAD, Mayumi and her adversaries all emitted a powerful psion light as they activated their magic.

"Just what is going on? Shiba Tatsuya … who…"

* * *

"Who are you!?"

Tatsuya bellowed at the man in front of him. As if the Mental-Interference Magic from before was not enough, he was once again faced with an otherworldly magic that seemingly bent the rules of common sense.

Tatsuya had disintegrated Miyuki's body. He knew that for the fact.

Optical illusions aside, he beheld her Eidos being taken apart by his very own hands. However, for whatever reason, there she stood. With a panic stricken face and a complexion even paler than her already exceedingly fair skin tone, but healthy nonetheless.

Tatsuya knew what had happened. He simply had trouble believing it.

Up to this point Tatsuya had believed that he was the only one able to directly interact with Eidos as opposed to simply projecting a Magic Sequence onto them and momentarily altering their information.

He believed that for good reason.

In the first place, the entire reason why he was unable to use Systematic Magic was because his Magic Calculation Area was dominated by that ability of his.

Yet.

Right now he beheld another individual with the same power as him.

No.

It was more appropriate to say that that hooded individual that appeared out of nowhere bore a power completely opposite of his.

As stated before, Miyuki's body was definitely dissolved. However, just moments after Miyuki's body had been taken apart into it's basic components, it had been reconnected, restoring Miyuki's body to her original state. This wasn't Regrowth. A backed up copy of her Eidos wasn't reflected back at Information Structure to restore a past state of her physical body.

Instead, the separated parts were manually reconnected.

If Tatsuya had dissolved her body, then the hooded individual had reattached the parts that were disconnected.

If Tatsuya's power was labeled Mist Dispersion, then this power should appropriately be named Mist Adhesion.

This was what Tatsuya meant with his opponent welding a power that was a mirror image of his own.

They were similar, but fundamentally different.

They resembled each other, but could not be any more opposite.

Still, that wasn't even the extent of that power. The reason why Tatsuya had trouble believing the existence of this law defying ability was due to another reason altogether, a phenomenon tied to the sudden appearance of the hooded man.

A few seconds ago he wasn't here.

Tatsuya had passively supported his five senses through the Information Dimension, and while most of his attention was focused on the material world, this still meant that nobody could have sneaked past the perimeter he set for himself. Not even Yakumo himself.

Needless to say, a minute ago, him and Miyuki were alone.

That was until, suddenly, the Eidos of this hooded man seemingly appeared out of nowhere. They weren't created out of nothingness, they simply appeared as casually as if he had casually strolled in. After submerging his mind into the Information Dimension, Tatsuya understood why.

That man's ability was Mist Adhesion, the ability to connect Eidos.

Connecting EIdos was much more harmless than taking them apart, hence Tatsuya figured that the man wouldn't be able to use his magic for offensive purposes like he did. Aside from reattaching information that Tatsuya took apart, that man's magic seemingly seemed to serve no other purpose.

However, that didn't mean that this power wasn't frightening.

What stood at the pinnacle of this power was the gift of teleportation, albeit a mimicked version of true teleportation, but effective nonetheless.

True teleportation was largely considered impossible due to the limitations of the law of conservation of mass. That law naturally also existed in the information dimension, if not in an altered form.

Simply put, it was impossible for a physical body to completely deconstruct itself and disappear in one location, and reconstruct itself and appear in another. Similarly, Eidos, the information of the world, could neither be completely erased nor created. Obviously magic also obeyed these laws.

When Tatsuya dissolved an object, he neither erased it's matter nor the Eidos associated with it, but simply reduced it to it's more basic structures. Similarly, a magician like Miyuki couldn't create ice out of nothing, but simply lowered the vibration of the molecules through the use of Oscillation-Type Magic to lower the temperature of the targeted object. Taking this to the extreme, not even the energy taken or provided through magic is above this law.

Though it may seem so at a first glance, energy is not erased when cooling a flame, and neither is it created when a fire is started through the process of magic. Then were does this energy go or come from?

Researchers have immersed themselves into this field of study every since the dawn of modern magic, and while there have been countless of theories, none of them were found to be substantial. One theory proposed that the energy was provided by psions, but it was immediately dismissed due to the classification of psions and pushions as conceptual particles. There were non-material and could be seen as the manifestation of thought and emotion, and thus had no relation to the laws of physics. Likewise, pure energy could not be created by psions or pushions alone. These conceptualized particles could only interact with each other, as seen through the use of Non-Systematic Magic, and could not act on the material world unless through magic. That is, through the construction of an Activation and Magic Sequence that would interact not with a physical object, but with the Eidos associated with that object.

Hence, researchers came to the conclusion that it wasn't psions and pushions alone, but merely modern magic that defied the law of conservation of energy. However with recent study, or outdated one depending on how one looked at it, an answer has been proposed for this dilemma also. Albeit still in it's theoretical stage, the leading researched in the field of magic had proposed for the solution to be connected to String Theory.

String theory referred to the idea that this world was like the outer layer of another world of a higher order. In terms of physical energy, only gravity could permeate the dimensional barrier, so gravity allowed most forms of energy to leak into other dimensions. This theory also implied that our dimension was only able to observe energy from higher dimensions at a much smaller scale.

This led to the assumption that our world by itself was not a closed system, but that the closed system our world was a part of was a collection of multiple worlds, each connected with the next.

Magic did not create energy, but borrowed it from another dimension. Likewise, energy was not destroyed, but given to another dimension, repeating the process ad infinitum. The act of magic itself was a process that was labelled as dimensional travel … though that privilege was exclusive to the purest form of energy for now.

The laws of conservation of energy thus remained solid, and so did the laws of conservation of matter.

Since they were laws, they were irrefutable, unchangeable. A great number of scientists and magicians rejoiced at the possibility that magic had the potential to bend these laws to it's will, but in the end, laws were laws. Not even magic was above them.

Continuing this line of thought, true teleportation was impossible. However, this did not mean that one could not mimic it's effects.

That hooded man's power was Mist Adhesion, the power to connect Eidos.

The concept of physical distance held no meaning in the Information Dimension. If one so wished, it was theoretically possible to cast magic at Saturn, as magic predominantly travelled through the Idea instead of the Physical World. Likewise, any and all Eidos in existence would always be available to any and all magicians. While few could comprehend the significance of such power, it wasn't like magicians could make full use of this understanding even if they wanted to, mainly due to the subconscious limit to a magician's perception. In any case, all Eidos were neither far apart nor close together.

Tatsuya had the ability to take apart information.

This man had the ability to connect information.

While the concept of distance did not exist in the Idea, the coordinates and location of any object or place were recorded in the Information Dimension. The Eidos of a moving car recorded movement and location just like it recorded color, weight, age, etc.

Position was just another aspect of location; another aspect of information.

One could step from the living room into the kitchen because the Eidos of these two rooms were connected in the Information Dimension. Likewise, one could take a step forward and "teleport" several kilometers into any given direction if the Eidos of these two coordinates were connected as well.

As opposed to True Teleportation, this power created three-dimensional portals in the physical world by manipulating the relative location of two locations recorded by the Eidos in the Information Dimension. Events were accompanied by information. By changing the information, one could bring forth a phenomena.

This hooded man had used his power of Mist Adhesion to connect two previously unrelated groups of Eidos to traverse, or teleport, to this location by taking a mere step. If Tatsuya was known by his enemies as the God of Destruction, then this man had rightfully displayed an ability worthy of being called a God of Creation.

Tatsuya had grasped all this information and more by dedicating the entirety of his attention to the Information Dimension to analyze the ripples left in the Eidos. Still, for a man with such power, Tatsuya required more information on how to combat him. Directing his focus on the man's mind, his Magic Calculation Area, Tatsuya analyzed the very core of his abilities.

However, much like Friedrich Nietzsche once said, "When you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you".

Just as Tatsuya used Elemental Sight to analyze the man, the man also regarded Tatsuya with Elemental Sight. That was to be expected. While Elemental Sight was an ability unique to Tatsuya, that didn't mean that he would be the only who had access to that ability.

His sight went hand in hand with his two innate abilities "Mist Dispersion" and "Regrowth".

Mist Dispersion was only possible due to Elemental Sight, and likewise, Elemental Sight needed the ability to interact with information to show it's true potential. Along these lines, it was only natural that the individual who wielded Mist Adhesion as a weapon was also be endowed with the ability to observe the Information Dimension.

What Tatsuya observed in the man's Magic Calculation area aligned with his previous assumption. While Tatsuya's Magic Calculation Area was able to house two abilities, that man's Magic Calculation Area only had space for one.

That disposition of his made perfect sense.

As opposed to simply taken information apart, it took considerably more effort to put things together. While all Tatsuya had to do was destroy, this man had to expend the effort to trace the loose ends of the information Tatsuya shredded into pieces and manually reconnect them one by one. The amount of calculation this process required was beyond Tatsuya's imagination.

This disadvantage worked in his favor however.

That man, whose only ability was to attach, did not posses Regrowth, nor did he possess the ability to to Flash Cast. Despite Tatsuya's Magic Calculation Area being filled up, he had space enough to memorize pages and pages upon code and magic formulas, allowing him to copy, store, and utilize any simple magic he witnessed through his personalized version of Flash Cast. It also helped that Tatsuya naturally possessed a photographic memory.

That man however, did not even have space for that.

His entire existence revolved around Mist Adhesion. It was as if he was the embodiment of the magic, as if he was created solely for it's use, and as if his body of flesh was merely an avatar constructed to bring that ability to life.

He was an existence even more pitiful than Tatsuya's own.

Aware of Tatsuya's pitying look, the man broke his line of sight and respectfully bowed to Miyuki.

Tatsuya also reigned in his Elemental Sight before he could discover the secrets behind this man's creation. Immersing himself in the Information Dimension for too long held considerable risk, as it left his physical body completely vulnerable. The moment the man decided to take action, Tatsuya could not allow himself to carelessly expose his body.

"Ojou-sama, I apologize for my late arrival. It took me a certain amount of time to construct a portal all the way from the Yotsuba residence. While we do not have jurisdiction over these parts, Kuroba Ayako-sama and Kuroba Fumiya-dono, who were in the vicinity by chance, have been contacted for support. Thanks to their abilities, they should arrive shortly. We are to keep the target busy until their arrival. Apprehension of the target is of utmost priority. In case of resistance, lethal force has been authorized. I have been tasked with with providing support and neutralizing the target's abilities."

His manner of speaking was closer to that of a robot than that of a human. Not a single trace of emotion, nay, not a single trace of human life was to be found in his voice. Miyuki seemed to have gotten used to it already though.

"His ability to interrupt my magic is bothersome. Prevent him from doing so."

"As you wish."

Bowing once more, the man positioned himself behind Miyuki and took up a defensive position. It was apparent that he held zero offensive potential, but when paired up with someone of Miyuki's caliber he became a threat that could not be overlooked.

"You heard him. I don't necessarily want to kill you, and if you submit to us we will not injure you any further"

"Why is it that you want to capture me in the first place. What have I done to rouse the Yotsuba's ire?"

"…"

It was obvious to Tatsuya that Miyuki had no answer to his question. He long realized that she was acting against her will and merely obeyed the orders handed down to her.

Miyuki herself was currently struggling to come up with an answer.

After she had used a secure line to contact the Yotsuba household, she had reported her concerns to the head butler of the Yotsuba, Hayama, not expecting it to be an event of much significance. She was just a child after all. She may have been mistaken.

Hayama's reaction was immediate however.

Forwarding Miyuki's call to Yotsuba Maya, she had to repeat her previous report, only this time with much more detail. The first words out of her aunt's mouth were to kill Tatsuya. If possible, a capture was suggested, but the priority was the extermination of his existence at any cost. Additionally, a special unit, Miyuki's acting guardian, would be dispatched for the first time ever since three years ago. Miyuki was allowed free reign to do as she pleased as long as it was connected to the fulfillment of the mission objective. Miyuki was aware of the extent of such a directive. Maya had essentially allowed Miyuki to raze down an entire city if she deemed it necessary.

Miiyuki was utterly shocked by this desperation on the part of the Yotsuba, but didn't question the order … couldn't question the order.

This was a direct order handed down to her by Yotsuba Maya herself. Any disobedience, even just the mention of it, was punishable by immediate execution. The fact that she was her niece was irrelevant.

Because this, as she was faced with Tatsuya's inquiry, she was unable to come up with a convincing answer. In all honesty, she didn't want to fight him at all, let alone harm him. The reason being …

"What did you mean when you said that I was your brother?"

Miyuki faltered under distress. For a while now she was trapped in an inner conflict. Should she obey the Yotsuba, or should she …

No.

Anything other than the Yotsuba's will was forbidden. No matter how long she had longed for meeting the wishful fantasy of a brother, no matter how long it had haunted her ever since her mother's guardian carelessly mentioned one lonely night, no matter how much she wished to learn more about him, she couldn't.

She …

She couldn't …

Or could she … ?

No. He was a liability. She barely knew him. He might very well be a criminal influential enough to kill hundreds and thousands of people, so even if he was her biological brother, the Yotsuba's orders should take highest priority. In the first place, he had already tried to kill her.

Yet likewise, if he was innocent, then wouldn't that put her in the wrong? He had only responded to her own attack, refraining from harming her until he had no there choice.

Miyuki's mind was in a frenzy and she didn't know why. Her mouth and throat were dry and each convulsion of her heart shook her body and soul.

It made no sense. No sense at all to show interest in that person…

… in that Onii-sama of hers.

If only… yes! If she only talked to him to make sure he was actually evil, then that should be alright. After all, she would only make sure that he was truly evil. The Kuroba twins had yet to arrive, so until then, she would have to make sure that they hadn't gotten the wrong target!

Miyuki's mind had derailed to the point that she didn't even notice the error in her logic.

Before she could take a careless step into Tatsuya's direction however…

"Ojou-sama. I have no means of attacking him. Please commence whenever you are ready."

… she was immediately put into her place by the cold voice at her back.

As if drowsed in cold water, Miyuki's mind returned to normal, although a hint of regret remained. Determination was shadowed by reluctance as Miyuki pulled out her CAD.

Seeing as negations had broken down once again, Tatsuya pulled the trigger of his CAD without hesitation. He activated Mist Dispersion, and having had enough time to target Miyuki's Eidos, his magic acted almost immediately. Just before the division process could begin however, it was countered by the Mist Adhesion activated by the man behind Miyuki. Like Tatsuya, he had probably selected Miyuki's Eidos ahead of time.

By acting against Tatsuya's magic before the physical phenomena manifested, the man saved himself a large chunk of potential calculation since he didn't have to track down the loose ends of the dissolved Eidos, and thus rendered Tatsuya's magic ineffective before Miyuki could feel the pain of being disassembled.

With her body still intact, Miyuki's movement continued uninterrupted as she tapped the screen of her CAD to invoke a wide area freezing magic with Tatsuya at it's origin. Tatsuya and the man analyzed the Magic Sequence of Miyuki's magic in a flash.

Leaning toward the right towards a relatively high building that was close to the railway track, Tatsuya switched to Gram Dispersion on his Trident while preemptively selecting Movement-Type and Acceleration-Type Magic from his memory.

Just as he ripped Miyuki's Magic-Sequence apart, it was already being stitched together.

Still, Tatsuya had expected this outcome, and thus fell back on the two magics he had prepared ahead of time, Flash Casted them, and jumped away from the rail tracks onto the wall of the tall building, repeatedly casting Movement-Type Magic to scale the wall and arrive at the very top.

He was not surprised or disappointed at this turn of events. Rather than saying he was being pressured by his opponents, it was more accurate to say that Tatsuya was gradually familiarizing himself with the extent of their abilities, more so with the man standing near Miyuki's back.

Reaction Speed.

Rate of Fire.

Calculation Ability.

Awareness of the Battlefield.

Preferences.

Patterns.

Tatsuya calmly analyzed his opponent like a lab rat as he continued to fire Decomposition Magic at Miyuki.

The reason he targeted Miyuki instead of the man was because he knew that the individual had no viable methods of attack. While he troubled Tatsuya to no end, he wasn't an immediate threat due his offensive power being close to zero, if not nonexistent altogether.

As such, Tatsuya focused on keeping Miyuki busy to the best of his ability in order to prevent her from firing off that dreaded Mental-Interference Magic. As powerful as it was, no, precisely because of it's power, it seemed to require a certain degree of concentration to execute, lest she endangered herself and her allies.

With too great a power, that was the natural side effect.

Tatsuya assumption was proven with her continuous efforts to construct multiple Data Fortification and Zone Interference Areas to nullify Tatsuya's magic so that she could focus on constructing her Mental Interference Magic.

However, Data Fortification and Zone Interference meant nothing to Tatsuya.

He penetrated her defenses effortlessly, the only reason to her continued survival being the man who repeatedly reconstructed her. Under normal circumstances such an even matchup would naturally result in a battle of endurance, a battle Tatsuya's opponents would undoubtedly win due to their advantage in numbers, but Tatsuya never intended on playing fair.

While his opponents definitely had the edge in (conventional) magic abilities, Tatsuya made up for it with his ingenious mind and technological prowess.

In short, Loop Cast.

Ever since the beginning of the battle, he had been using Loop Cast to cast his magic successively, rapidly, and efficiently. Even though his opponents should be praised for being able to keep up with him regardless, it was evident that they were playing towards his flute. Since they didn't make use of Loop Cast themselves, Miyuki didn't have it installed in her CAD and the man didn't seem to have a CAD on him at all, they had to construct their magic from scratch each and every time.

It had only been a short while since the fight had started, but their mental exhaustion was starting to become evident. Miyuki's magic became sloppier and the man's restoration took longer and longer to activate.

Tatsuya took note of their exhaustion and decided to act.


	4. Chapter 4

Tatsuya identified multiple of Miyuki's vital organs and sensitive points of her nervous system for mass targeting.

Modern magic relied on manipulating the Eidos of a chosen target rather than using magic bullets to shoot the target. Because of that, so long as one could focus on the targeted phenomenon, it was possible to target multiple instances of the same phenomenon. To accomplish this, each of the replicated targets needed to be defined and considered simultaneously. Rather than lumping all the targets, identifying all the phenomena, and changing them all together, magic needed to be applied to each individual target, so it was necessary to identify the subtle differences between each of them. If the number of the targets was only one digit, then anyone could accomplish this with sufficient training. Anything above that was the realm where qualities other than magic were required, as even adding one target became incredibly difficult.

Tatsuya's current upper limit was 24.

The moment Tatsuya's magic took shape, the eyes behind the man's hood turned wide and desperate. Mental exhaustion aside, it would be impossible for him to target this many locations at once with his overly calculation dependent magic.

Tatsuya had gotten a grasp of that man's capabilities and limits, and was thus aware of that fact.

Rather, he took advantage of that fact.

The Silver Trident briefly emitted an invisible light as the Activation Sequences were absorbed by Tatsuya's body. Before Miyuki perceived the light, her organs and nervous system burst apart. Immediately, her organs returned to their original state, but the damage to her nervous system remained for just a second too long as the man behind her tried to catch up to the multiple phenomenas.

Her central nervous system suffered damage at twelve key locations.

An unbelievable force of pain assaulted Miyuki's mind, and her wretched cry continued even long after she lost continuousness, dropping to the ground like a lifeless sack. While her nervous system was repaired in the blink of an eye, it was far too late, and Miyuki's brain had already shut down her consciousness to protect it from overexposure of torment. She wouldn't wake up for a while.

The man was exposed at last.

Just as he shifted his attention from the fallen Miyuki back to Tatsuya, his entire body already filled the guardian's entire field of vision as Tatsuya executed a viscous kick aimed straight at the man's eardrum. The tip of his toes were covered in Contact-Type Oscillation Magic.

The man agitatedly dropped down and dashed backwards in an attempt to dodge the kick, pulling out a small combat knife from a pocket and throwing it in Tatsuya's direction in the process.

However, compared to Yanagi's ethereal skill, the man's movements seemed sluggish and painstakingly slow. Tatsuya easily sidestepped the projectile, not even bothering to catch it, and enhanced his muscles with psions to sprint forward.

The man had no choice but to watch Tatsuya's rapid movement. Fear turned his face pale.

Having caught up to him an a flash, Tatsuya covered his right arm in Contact-Type Mist Dispersion and chopped at the man's neck. The man hurriedly countered the field of Mist Dispersion around Tatsuya's right arm by interlacing it with his own Mist Adhesion and cancelled out the magic, raising both of his arms to block the strike. Despite having enhanced his speed with ninjutsu, the man was still able to block his attack.

Tatsuya absentmindedly congratulated the Yotsuba training regime. Not that it mattered. This attack was just a feint after all.

He had purposefully clad his arm in Mist Dispersion, knowing that it would have no effect, to focus the man's attention on his upper body. Unnoticed by the man, Tatsuya right leg struck the weak joint of his knee, dislocating it and injuring the tendon, causing the man to lose his balance. While the man buckled under the pain, Tatsuya tightened his left fist and rammed it straight into the man's solar plexus.

All the air in his lungs was forcibly exhaled at once as he was blown away multiple meters against the hard metal rails of the rail track.

The man's entire body trembled due to the lack of oxygen as he barely managed to get to his feet, still having a hard time to take in air due to Tatsuya's previous blow.

However, Tatsuya showed him no mercy.

Without giving the man a second of rest, Tatsuya covered the distance between them with a single step and came to a stop right before him, throwing out a powerful punch with his right arm that was once again covered in Mist Dispersion. This time the man had no time to properly cancel out the Mist Dispersion due to his fading consciousness, and instead covered his own right arm in Contact-Type Mist Adhesion in a desperate attempt to meet Tatsuya's punch.

Equal and opposite magics met.

Mist Dispersion clashed against Mist Adhesion.

At the point of contact between both magics, the Eidos were constantly being re-written in a pointless struggle.

Both magics were equal, and thus, neither could trump over the other.

Still, just because the magics were equal didn't mean the magicians were.

The man was obviously unable to use Regrowth, and thus, his battered body reduced his combat potential significantly. In fact he was barely standing, meeting Tatsuya punch in a crouching position due to his inability to balance on both of his legs after Tatsuya's precise attack against his knee.

Tatsuya on the other hand was still in prime physical condition.

With these overwhelming odds in his favor, Tatsuya pressed the attack, pushing the man's fist back inch by inch. Finally, both magics fizzled for a last time before a small magic explosion occurred, shredding the skin off of both combatants arms and blowing them away in either direction.

The man had lost focus at the last second and was thus unable to completely negate Mist Dispersal. Likewise, the resonance between both magics amplified the destructive ability of Tatsuya's own decomposition, harming both parties in the process.

The bout ended with both of their arms' skin shredded of, grotesquely displaying the muscle beneath it. The man whimpered pathetically and shivered in pain due to having his naked arm exposed to the air. On the other hand, Tatsuya had simply used Regrowth to restore his body.

Let alone any physical injuries, even his school uniform did not have a single stain of dirt on it.

That sight alone was enough to instill a sense of hopelessness into the hearts of his enemies. Tatsuya regarded his incapacitated opponents with a cold glare. For good measure, he pointed his CAD at the hooded individual and dissolved sections in the joints of his arms and legs, emphasizing the nervous system to elicit as much pain as possible. The result was immediate. The previously squirming man ceased all action as his mind blanked out from pain. Even if he were to wake up, he wouldn't be able to move.

Lowering his CAD, Tatsuya turned to Miyuki.

She was an important source of information as she apparently possessed a direct link to the Yotsuba. He was somewhat grateful for the man for saving her life, as this would allow Tatsuya to deliver her to the headquarters of the 101 Independent Magic Equipped Battalion for interrogation. After intel was extracted, Tatsuya considered handing her over to Major Yamanaka Kousuke. He had repeatedly petitioned Tatsuya to offer his body for human experimentation, to which he had denied until this day. Miyuki was another story however. Her Mental-Interference Magic was too powerful if left alone, and as such, the more they found out about it the better. While Tatsuya was generally against human experimentation and the inhuman treatment of magicians, he also held no compassion for people that were after his life. That self proclaimed sister of his was no exception.

Taking a step towards her to retrieve her body, Tatsuya immediately whirled around as he noticed the formation of unnatural air currents.

The air formed a structure akin to a tunnel that connected the space right above him to the top of a building roughly one kilometer to the east. Tatsuya most likely hadn't noticed the activation of this magic due to it being invoked quite a distance away from his location and because he was focused on battling the hooded man and Miyuki.

Furthermore, the activation of the magic was frightfully fast.

Tatsuya managed to analyze the structure of the magic, but before he could active Gram Dispersion to take it apart, a young boy appeared out of nowhere right at the end of the tunnel. The boy's face was tense and betrayed no fear or hesitation. This boy, despite younger than both Miyuki and the man, seemed to have more battle experience than both of them combined.

 _"_ _Teleportation again?! No. This is accelerated movement facilitated by the wind tunnel!"_

Tatsuya pointed his CAD at the boy, but the boy was just a split second faster. Before Tatsuya could discern the activation of another Mental-Interference Magic, his consciousness blacked out.

 **[Self Restoration. Auto Start.]**

 **[Core Eidos Data. Read From Backup.]**

 **[Load Magic Sequence - Complete.]**

 **[Self Restoration - Complete.]**

Tatsuya opened his eyes again, barely an instant after he lost consciousness due to an unfathomable amount of pain.

However, due to the complete self restoration having taking up the entirety of his Magic Calculation Area, his previously constructed Mist Dispersal that he had targeted at the boy was cancelled, forcing Tatsuya to construct it again.

This gave the boy all the time he needed to activate his Mental-Interference Magic once more.

Yet, instead of instantly projecting a high amount of pain onto Tatsuya's senses, the young boy continuously projected a slightly lower amount of pain over a longer period of time. That level of pain was not enough to make Tatsuya lose consciousness, thus preventing the automatic activation of Regrowth, but at the same time it was high enough to override any other electronic signals sent from the brain. Comparatively speaking, Tatsuya's nervous system was overcharged with electrical signals like wire hit by lightning, and he was thus paralyzed by pain in a literal senes.

As opposed to the mysterious boy's favored application of his personal Mental-Interference Magic to instantly project pain into his target's senses, this method took slightly longer to cast. This was the main reason why the boy forced Tatsuya to use first use Self Restoration to cancel any of his magic and buy himself the time necessary to prepare this magic.

Without a doubt he was Kuroba Fumiya, one of the potential candidates to succeed the head of the Yotsuba Clan, and the first son born to the current head of the Kuroba. Despite still young, he was by no means inexperienced nor was he naive.

In both body and mind, he was worthy of carrying the banner of the Yotsuba.

He had the overbearing talent of a genius

Seconds after his performance, in the same way he appeared, his elder twin sister appeared next to her younger brother's side.

Kuroba Ayako.

While renowned for her expert handling of the Wind Tunnel to allow for instantaneous movement, she had yet to discover her true talent, and was thus often designated as a support for her younger brother.

She was by no means lacking in any way, mastering the usage of Systematic-Magic without much effort, but she had yet to find and develop her own distinct ability that would mark her as a member of the Yotsuba. While saddened by this, she had largely accepted her fate as her brother's shadow already.

With both of them gathered together, they threw a collective glance towards Tatsuya's shivering body.

"So the reports were true. I still can't believe someone with the ability of reversing any type of physical or spiritual damage actually exists.", Ayako warily remarked.

"Me neither. However, thanks to Hayama-sama's report we were able to come up with a strategy to neutralize his ability. In the first place, for you to have to prepare your Magic almost one kilometer away … his perceptive ability is frightening."

"This was the first time I activated my magic from such a large distance too. And even then, it was all thanks to 'him' keeping him distracted. Just was kind of monster is he?"

Much like when in the presence of a sleeping dragon, Fumiya and Ayako kept their attention focused on the incapacitated Tatsuya despite knowing that there was no way for him to break out of Fumiya's torturous magic. Still, even if they were wary of him, that didn't mean that they could stand by watching him forever. Ayako was the first to turn away and sweep over their surroundings.

"Miyuki-oneesama!".

Fumiya remained by Tatsuya's side to make sure he couldn't escape, while Ayako ran off to her self proclaimed rival. Desperately shaking her shoulders, Miyuki's eyes occasionally fluttered before they eventually opened completely.

"I… how long have I been asleep?"

As expected of a potential heir to the Yotsuba, her disorientation only lasted briefly.

"We don't know, we have just arrived ourselves. But more importantly to be able to take on two Yotsuba magicians and severely harming one of them, who the hell is this guy?!", Fumiya didn't bother to hide the anxiety in his voice.

"Two…"

"What did you say Onee-sama?"

"He… he also managed to wound, no, he killed me over and over during that battle. It just … didn't really sink in yet."

"What do you mean killed you over and over?"

"I don't know the extent of his abilities, but he seems to be able to take part Eidos and Magic Sequences. I was completely unable to use my magic in the beginning, and the only reason my body isn't dust by now is because of 'him'."

"That is…"

"… impossible."

All three of them stared at Tatsuya in absolute shock and disbelief. The Kuroba had received a basic report on his abilities as they were heading over, but after listening to Miyuki, who had experienced them head on, they realized that Hayama was by no means exaggerating when he told them that they should not give Tatsuya more than half a second to react, as they would have no chance of surviving past that point. Fumiya unconsciously pressed his palm against his chest, realizing just how close to death he had been when he carelessly jumped straight into the heat of battle.

"So the only man who can face our target is 'that man' alone?"

"Even though he seems to be able to counter Tatsuya's abilities, 'he' cannot even compare to him in combat ability", Miyuki answered, simultaneously providing the Kuroba with the name of their execution target and motioning towards the hooded man with her head.

After, looking over where Miyuki was pointing to, the Kuroba understood what she was saying.

One of his legs was awkwardly bent the wrong way like that of a dropped puppet, and his breathing pattern was completely irregular and ragged despite him being unconscious, indicating that he had also received damage to his chest or lungs. Worst of all, and the most grotesque injury by far, his right arm's skin was shredded off as if he had stuck it into the razorblades of a lawnmower; blood was constantly oozing out from beneath his exposed muscles.

In comparison, Tatsuya's uniform remained untouched. Not even a wrinkle could be seen.

"In any case, we should leave immediately. I know that you are injured Miyuki-oneesama, but this was originally supposed to be a short execution. You must have had your reasons for commencing before our arrival, but the fact remains that too much time has passed. The authorities should already be on their way by now."

"Our position isn't particularly inconspicuous either…"

"I understand. Ayako, help me lift 'him' up. Fumiya, I will leave the target up to you. So far, you are the only one with the ability to restrain him."

"Understood."

Despite both of them being potential candidates for Yotsuba Maya's position, Miyuki was still older than him, so Fumiya naturally allowed her to seize control of the situation.

However, just as Fumiya bent down to pick up Tatsuya's body, a large-scale Magic Sequence was deployed in their immediate surroundings.

While not to the extent of Miyuki's ability, the size, scale, and deployment speed of the magic was undoubtedly the work of an incredibly skilled magician. The three of them, as well as the barely conscious Tatsuya, identified the Magic Sequence to be one for a large-scale Convergence-Type Magic.

Yet, the worrisome aspect was not the Convergence-Type Magic, but the smaller-scale Speed-Type Magics that were activated within it.

The different magics were deployed not after another, nor before another, but at the same time.

Several magics were activated simultaneously by the same person.

While this was a skill hard to manage for a normal magician, it wasn't necessarily impossible to do so with two magics … however, the number of Magic Sequences being activated weren't just two.

The large Convergence-Type Magic Sequence began to create multiple concentrated pockets of carbon dioxide while five, no, ten, no, twenty, no, nearly fifty separate Magic Sequences for Speed-Type Magic appeared all over the place within the space defined by the large Convergence-Type Magic. These Magic Sequences targeted the pockets of carbon dioxide particles and accelerated them to super sonic velocity, creating a deadly rain of lethal dry ice pellets that descended onto the Yotsuba magicians.

However, this wasn't indiscriminate firing.

Each and every pellet accurately targeted the vitals of the enemy magicians while leaving the space around the immobile Tatsuya untouched. After the deadly rain ceased, the settling dust revealed the complete destruction of the part of the railway the Yotsuba were standing on. However, there was no trace of their bodies. A hint of an unnatural movement of air in the shape of a tunnel could be perceived, but even that disappeared without a trace after a while.

Tatsuya was finally freed from the continuous torture that would have driven any normal man insane, and weakly tried to stand up by pressing his shaking arms on the ground.

The ability of invoking several different magics at the same time coupled with the infamous Herd Control.

The one who had come to his aid was undoubtedly a Saegusa.

Just as Tatsuya's nose was assailed by a pleasantly sweet smell, his vision was covered in darkness again.

Whether this was because he closed his eyes, or because of the curtain of glossy black hair was beyond him.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

It seems I am not done apologizing yet, as I still have to account for the ire I've caused by letting Miyuki revert back to her old character without any palpable reason. I know that this regression seemingly comes out of nowhere, but at the same time I think that the interest she holds in Tatsuya is well warranted ... her irrational thinking simply isn't. As an enemy, she should show no hesitation towards taking him out, but at the same time, Miyuki is often state to hesitate in the act of killing. Combined with the mystery of her Mother's magic in the Magic Calculation Area of the man she identifies as her lost brother, a certain degree of curiosity is unavoidable.

However, not to the degree of acting the way she did.

I have no excuse for her nonsensical behavior, and it may have just been an aftereffect of having re-read the light novels and being overexposed to her behavioral mannerisms. Maybe this is what Miyuki is like at her very core? There were similar traces of this behavior during the Reminiscence Arc ...  
Though still not to the extent of justifying a grown Miyuki's childish behavior.

At the very end, all I can do is apologize for the behavior I have forced onto her, simply because I deemed it fitting.

The next chapter will take a step back from the action and focus more on the motivations of the Yotsuba, as well as Mayumi's stance towards the events she was unwillingly involved with. Much like this time, I will publish the next chapter next weekend, but I doubt I will be able to keep this schedule up for long. In any case, see you guys around!


	5. Chapter 5

The wide screen was the only light source that brightened the darkened room. Three magicians had seated themselves before the image of an elegantly dressed woman, addressing her with a level of decorum that would not have been out of place in nobility. It seemed their efforts were in vain however, as each word that left their mouths darkened their superior's expression.

"… and therefore we failed to capture our target. Though incapacitated by my magic, his escape was facilitated by the unexpected aid of Saegusa Mayumi."

Miyuki, Fumiya, and Ayako bowed their heads in shame after reporting the event that transpired but a few hours ago. They had expected disappointment and anger, but contrary to their belief, Maya merely looked down upon the subjects that had failed her. It wasn't until now that they realized that this punishment was infinitely worse.

"Even with Cocytus and Direct Pain … Fumiya you are not to blame as you seem to have successfully suppressed your target."

Maya shifted her gaze from Fumiya to Miyuki. Though she was viewing them from her computer screen, the projected image of her face perfectly aligned with Miyuki's distressed eyes.

"Miyuki on the other hand didn't wait for her guardian to arrive and complicated things for her fellow accomplices. What motivated your behavior Miyuki?"

The sparse light in the already darkened room seemed to dim under Maya's pressure. Whether this was merely an optical illusion caused by their fear or an actual physical phenomena, neither of the three magicians could discern.

"I… I believed it to be the best course of action to incapacitate the target before he arrived at the station. While still in the cabin, his mobility would be limited, and the station would provide him with favorable terrain. Furthermore, with proper control, my Cocytus could have frozen his Magic Calculation Area alone without the need of killing him, so I deemed it appropriate to stall his reaction with my presence before he could identify me to be hostile."

While Miyuki's reasons weren't necessarily unreasonable, they were presented more like an excuse than an explanation. Maya narrowed her gaze onto the virtual image of her niece. Did she have the audacity to lie to her? Maya took note of Miyuki's behavior and decided to appoint her another guardian. "His" movements were restricted by his dependance on local medical treatment … maybe she would ask Hayama about the status of Sakurai Minami.

"It was my fault for allowing you too much authority. I expect that you don't repeat this mistake."

Miyuki was by no means relieved by Maya's statement. She was neither forgiven nor pardoned. Worse than failing to meet the Yotsuba's expectations, Miyuki had just been offered an ultimatum.

"I understand", Miyuki was surprised she could manage to utter a proper reply to her Aunt's threat.

Maya visibly sighed to emphasize her foul mood. There was a reason the Yotsuba didn't usually act as carelessly as they did today. The Yotsuba had already gathered the ire of many Clans, political factions, and even Nations, so there was no need for providing their enemies with reasons to gather under a unified banner. Maya admitted that she had acted rashly after receiving Miyuki's report, but after sending Miyuki, the Kuroba, and even "him", it was reasonable to believe that they should have been able to eliminate Tatsuya when he was not yet aware of their existence. With Tatsuya now conscious of being targeted by the Yotsuba … was victory even possible?

Maya sighed once more to reign in her frustration.

Eying the screen, she noticed that Miyuki, Fumiya, and Ayako had visibly paled.

"Ayako."

"Yes!"

Fear was as reliable as always.

"You mentioned the Saegusa name?"

"Affirmative! It seemed that Saegusa Mayumi had come to the target's rescue alone. We have immediately started preparations for a hostile response of the Ten Master Clans, but there is yet to be a reaction. It is safe to assume that she operated separately from the Saegusa."

"She acted alone?"

"That is correct."

"Is that so… Fumiya."

"Yes!"

"What have you found out about Tatsuya's background so far?"

"Forgive me for not having a detailed report ready, but we weren't able to discover anything of worth. The intelligence manipulation surrounding his life is extraordinarily intricate, to the extent that we might not even be able to replicate such a feat. However, we were able to confirm a connection with the 101 Magic Equipped Battalion, though we do not know what the extent of his involvement is. It is likely that his employment under the Kitayama Group is just a cover."

Maya finally raised an eyebrow after receiving noteworthy intel.

"Should we make preparations for contacting General Kazama, or even Major General Saeki?"

"No that would be a rash move. In the first place we, would be causing unnecessary tension between us and the Japanese Defense Force if we were to do so, especially when considering the goals of Major Saeki's faction. Instead…"

Maya leaned back in her luxuriously cushioned chair and relaxed her attitude. She would punish them at a later date.

"Establish an encrypted line to Tatsuya's personal terminal."

"Understood. If you don't mind me asking, what will be the purpose of your call?"

A delighted chuckle escaped Maya's youthful lips as she lightly cocked her head against he slender hands. She was fully aware that the sinister nature of her smile was still present.

"I haven't spoken to my adorable nephew in a long while. I simply wish to say hello."

* * *

Tatsuya's head felt as if crushed by two rusted sheets of metal.

It was a headache unpleasant to the degree he hadn't experienced every since creating the Magic Sequence for Auto-Restoration, and it was by no means a pleasantly nostalgic experience. Deciding against using Restoration for something as trivial as a headache, he relied on the more conventional method of rubbing his throbbing temple.

With a feeling of helplessness nestling in his mind, Tatsuya reflected the previous battle.

While handling one magician with unprecedented Mental-Interference Magic was challenging enough, additional opponents with outlandish abilities appeared one after another, each more irritating than the next. Was that what it meant to be a Yotsuba? If their entire military force was composed of magicians like these … Tatsuya didn't even want to consider the hopelessness of that situation. Without resorting to irresponsible and suicidal methods, his defeat was all but assured.

Groaning at his reluctant admittance of that fact, Tatsuya shifted his body into a more comfortable decision as he buried his head into a downy pillow.

He was aware that he was helplessly outnumbered four to one, but a defeat was a defeat. Had it not been for the unexpected appearance of Saegusa Mayumi, Tatsuya may not even be alive right now, or at least be driven insane by Kuroba Fumiya's dreadful magic.

 _"… Saegusa?"_

Tatsuya halted his unpleasant groaning and remembered the appearance of Saegusa Mayumi. If it really was her who had to come to his aid, then it must have also been her who relocated him into the bed he was currently laying in. Forcing his body into an upright position, Tatsuya noticed a scowling Mayumi sitting on a chair beside him. Confused as what to make of this situation, he simply raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously, after going through all the effort of sneaking you into my room and even letting you sleep in my bed, the first thing you do when you wake up is groan and grunt as if the entire situation is unpleasant for you. Well excuse me for taking care of you", Mayumi ranted as she animately crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks.

Tatsuya had to try his best not to burst into laughter. The childish behavior that contradicted his previous evaluation of her character took him completely off guard, and while strangely amusing, only served to deepen the mystery that was Saegusa Mayumi. During the long time he had served the military, not once had he encountered an enigma more intricate than the woman before him. The motivations that fueled her behavior … though by no means necessary for his survival and well-being, he admitted himself to have taken an interest in her.

Deciding that it was best to respond as naturally as possible, Tatsuya let his thoughts fade into memory and put on a courteous smile.

"Thank you for taking care of me while I was unconscious."

Whether it was due to the curt nature of his response, or because she didn't intend to keep up her act for too long in the first place, Mayumi adapted a serious posture as soon as she confirmed Tatsuya's condition.

 _"Was this her way of checking up on me?"_ , again, he paid no heed to the brief thought flashing through his mind.

"Tatsuya-kun, who were those people that attacked you? Even though I reviewed the logs of the surveillance equipment, they were hacked for the duration of the battle and left us with nothing. To be able to do something like that… Was it a foreign organization? Why was Miyuki with them?"

"Right to the point huh? However, before I answer, have you heard anything regarding two freshmen by the name of Kitayama Shizuku and Mitsui Honoka? Where there any incidents other than the attack I was involved in?"

"It was a the two of them who informed me of your situation."

"Then are they safe?", Tatsuya's inquiry was just a bit too anxious to constitute as a normal response.

"They were followed by a group of enemy magicians, but I confronted them before they could do any harm. I failed to capture any of them however."

Free of worry and grateful for Mayumi's involvement, Tatsuya breathed a sigh of relief and switched to a friendlier tone. With no intention of leaving the comfort of the bed, he prepared to answer Mayumi's questions.

"Even though I haven't been able to confirm the information yet, I was able to identify three of the assailants by name, Kuroba Fumiya, Kuroba Ayako, and Shiba Miyuki."

Mayumi nodded in response of the first two names but hesitated when Tatsuya uttered the last.

"Did they mention anything about their motives? The rumors about the Kuroba aside, why would a freshman at our school be involved in an assassination attempt directed at a fellow student?"

"Again, I merely have received a verbal testimony of Shiba Miyuki so the accuracy of the information is questionable … but it seemed that they were operating under direct orders of Yotsuba Maya. Their objective was to either kill or apprehend me."

The chair was forcibly knocked over as Mayumi violently rose to her feet.

"The Yotsuba?! Why are the Yotsuba after your life?!"

In contrast to Mayumi's urgency, Tatsuya hesitated to continue.

"It… They regarded me as their own."

"Wha-…?"

"Shiba Miyuki referred to me as her brother, implying that she, just like myself, is a member of the Yotsuba."

The room was enveloped in silence. Just as Mayumi had trouble grasping the magnitude of the information Tatsuya had just shared with her, Tatsuya himself was still in denial. Neither of them spoke as they were trapped in deep thought.

However, just when the silence started to become overbearing, Tatsuya's Information Terminal suddenly started ringing in his pocket, indicating a personal call. Reaching for it and confirming the name of the caller, Tatsuya's body visibly tensed up. After glancing in Mayumi's direction, he tilted the display to reveal the name shown on the digital screen.

Yotsuba Maya.

Mayumi barely managed reply to Tatsuya's stare with a nod, neither of them wanted to keep someone like the acting head of the Yotsuba waiting for too long. Swallowing his hesitation, Tatsuya accepted the call.

The screen displayed the appearance of a youthful woman.

Without a seconds delay … the world turned into "Night"

It was not mere darkness.

Floating within the darkness, shone a brilliantly iridescent sea of stars.

The roof of the bedroom became a moonless, starlit night-sky.

The stars flowed, becoming rays of light … and the scent of blood suddenly permeated the room.

In the next moment.

Without a sound.

That indoor "Night" shattered.

As the room returned to it's normal brightness, nothing remained unchanged, except for the pale expression on Mayumi's face.

She was still not able to fully comprehend what had happened.

However, Tatsuya, the recipient of the attack, had analyzed the magic to it's very core.

Magic didn't travel through the Physical Dimension since it acted in the Information Dimension, meaning that it was not limited by distance.

It was, however, limited by the perception of distance.

The Magic Calculation Area of any magician lay in the subconscious, so the unconscious uncertainty and doubt associated with targeting something outside a magician's comfortable field of view would naturally limit the range of magic, even though magic technically didn't have any limitations to range by itself.

That being said, when a magician was able to go past the point of limiting themselves by distance, and say, activate their magic confidently after only ascertaining the location of their target through visual confirmation, then that magician's magic would be truly independent of the shackle called "distance".

Yotsuba Maya was a magician that had achieved that level of skill.

Simply by viewing a real-time image of her target, she was able to activate her trademark Convergence-Type Magic "Meteor Stream".

Yotsuba Maya, the one who was feared as the "Devil of the Far East" and the "Queen of the Night", affirmed her position as the strongest magician in the world by this simple act of killing.

If it had been anyone but Tatsuya on the other side of the display, that person would have certainly died on the spot.

However, upon noticing the construction of the Magic Sequence, Tatsuya used Gram Dispersal to reduce it to a meaningless cloud of psions. While he was undoubtedly pierced by the rays of light extruded by the starts, he had erased any proof of injury with Regrowth. The exchange was over so quickly that despite it happening in the middle of the Saegusa household, all that could be sensed was a random activation of psions.

Since this was home to the heirs of one of the most prominent of the ten master clans, it would most likely be written off as one of the children training in their use of magic. Only Tatsuya and Mayumi, who had witnessed that frightful magic with their bare eyes, were able to discern it's existence.

"Ara~ It seems like you are the real deal. Please excuse my rash greeting, I simply couldn't hold back my happiness at reuniting with my beloved nephew."

The voice that came from across the phone was both lovely and charming.

Not a single ounce of hostility could be discerned within the alluring nature of her voice, nor was there any hint of wickedness visible on her beautiful features.

Still, neither Tatsuya nor Mayumi let down their guard.

"Excuse you say … In that case let me offer an apology of my own. I am currently in the care of Saegusa Mayumi. It doesn't seem like the rest of the household is aware of my presence yet, but regardless, I expect you to understand that she will be joining us in this conversation. I am currently enjoying her patronage after all, and it would be rude to ask her to leave her own room. Even if you were to call me at a later time, I will forward the details of the conversation to her regardless."

Mayumi was rather taken aback by Tatsuya's insistence of her involvement, but quickly decided that she would save this matter for a later time.

Tatsuya himself had his own issues regarding kicking a woman out of her own room, he humbly considered himself a gentleman, while also owing her for rescuing him. Even if he tried to keep her from getting involved in this risky business, the Kuroba had definitely found out about her identity already and would undoubtedly be after her as well. Rather than keeping her in the dark, sharing this information with her would be vital to her survival.

Maya breathed a theatrical sigh, a performance likely unchallenged even by a first-rate actress, but it was blatantly obvious that she had expected this outcome from the very beginning.

"I guess I have no choice in that regard. She can listen in she wishes to."

"Forgive my rudeness, but please get to the matter at hand. I understand that this line is encrypted, but even so, encryption of this level should be troublesome to maintain on something as unprotected as my mobile device even for a short while."

Maya's expression changed into what seemed to be delighted smirk, as if proud of Tatsuya's insight and technological expertise. This time Tatsuya was unable to decide whether or not this was also an act.

"It seemed that my kin have failed to capture you regardless of their best efforts … though that is only expected when considering your abilities."

Tatsuya's face froze at the mention of his magic. He was sure that her had incapacitated the unidentified magician enough to prevent him from regaining consciousness for at least half a day. Even when considering the skill of the medical experts the Yotsuba had control over, to be able to issue a detailed report on Tatsuya's powers in such a short time was extremely unlikely. Did Maya have another source?

Before Tatsuya could delve any further into that subject, Maya continued the conversation.

"In any case, the situation has worsened now that you have discovered Miyuki's identity. It would only raise unwanted questions if Miyuki suddenly disappeared after a mysterious incident that destroyed an important juncture in the railway system. We can't afford to have curious dogs sniffing around in our territory just yet, so let us make a deal."

Maya comfortably settled into her extravagant armchair and graced Tatsuya with an amiable smile.

"Why don't you ignore what happened today, and in return, we will limit any attempts on your life. Ah. Of course that includes Saegusa-san as well."

Tatsuya made no effort in hiding his obvious displeasure.

The Yotsuba were feared for a reason.

While small in number, the power each individual held was unfathomable when compared to the rest of the Ten Master Clans.

Maya wasn't offering a fair deal, she was threatening Tatsuya into obedience.

If he failed to comply with her demands, it was likely that she would mobilize the entirety of the Yotsuba to hunt him down, for whatever reason Tatsuya had yet to comprehend. Casualties aside, the power of the Yotsuba was mighty enough to equal the rest of Japan's military force. Japan would be engulfed in an unprecedented civil war that would most likely lead towards mutual destruction.

Tatsuya didn't know why the Yotsuba would go this far merely to ensure that he wouldn't act against them, even to the extent of taking the country itself hostage, but regardless of their reasons, they definitely capable of such a feat. Mayumi was likewise aware of that threat, and anxiously glanced at Tatsuya for his reply.

"I understand."

In the end, neither Tatsuya nor Maya wished for such an outcome.

"I will refrain from acting against Miyuki."

But at the same time he didn't specify his stance towards the rest of the Yotsuba.

Maya didn't miss his intentional wording, but at the same time didn't wish to press the topic. In the first place, she hadn't expected Tatsuya to agree with her demands at all. Before Tatsuya had the chance to go back on his word, Maya swiftly brought the conversation to a close.

"The matter is settled then. Since we went through the effort to shut off public surveillance, we expect you to tie up any loose ends on your part. It would be too tiring for us to clean up the mess ourselves."

Tatsuya hid a cynical chuckle behind his emotional mask. While it was true that the absence of public surveillance kept his own abilities hidden from the general public, these circumstances were primarily created for the sake of Miyuki. Therefore, he had no obligation to repay their efforts.

Regardless, Tatsuya didn't voice his complaint.

With "Loose Ends", Maya was obviously referring to Honoka and Shizuku who, while not present for the entirety of the fight, had seen Miyuki's face. Since Tatsuya would have attended to that matter on his own volition anyway, he didn't object to Maya's suggestion.

"Of course. I will convince them of Miyuki's innocence. However, in return I expect you to leave them alone. If any action is taken against them, I cannot guarantee Miyuki's safety."

Tatsuya simply refereed to Honoka and Shizuku as "them" and didn't bother to clarify himself; Maya most likely knew everything about them already.

In one fellow swoop Tatsuya took Miyuki hostage.

From the very beginning he had known the identity of three Yotsuba magicians, two of which were potential candidates to succeed Maya. Additionally, he had taken apart Miyuki's Eidos multiple times by now and had sufficiently familiarized himself enough with her design to effortlessly track her Eidos through the Information Dimension if he so wished it. No matter where in the world she hid, even if she were to seek asylum on a different planet, she would never be able to escape Tatsuya's grasp.

Maya's grim face implied that she was aware of that fact.

While she shouldn't have known the extent of Tatsuya's abilities, it seemed as if she has knowledge of them nonetheless. Tatsuya shook his head and focused on the matter at hand.

If Maya were to neglect her part of the deal, Tatsuya's retribution would be swift.

Maya had taken the future of Japan hostage, while Tatsuya had taken the future of the Yotsuba hostage.

Maya never intended to treat Tatsuya as anything lesser than her equal.

A high-school student who stood on equal footing with the head of the legendary Yotsuba clan.

In Mayumi's mind, the existence of the man known Shiba Tatsuya cloaked itself in an abyssal mantle of mystery.

"If that is all, then I ask to excuse myself. After all, I am still under patronage of Saegusa Mayumi and wouldn't want to impose on her kindness any longer."

"Likewise, I have other matters to attend to as well. Until next time."

Without further warning, the signal cut off and any trace of their conversation was completely erased.

After confirming that he signal was lost, Tatsuya slumped back against the cushioned pillows and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed. Mayumi mimicked his behavior, albeit in a more graceful manner, and softly leaned agains the backrest of her chair. Even though she was not directly involved, she had just witnessed a conversation with Yotsuba Maya in person. If it had been her in Tatsuya's position, Mayumi doubted she would have been able to keep her composure as he did.

After his mind was sufficiently rested, Tatsuya was the first to speak up.

"Pres-"

"At this point it would be weird if you were to keep calling me that. Just Mayumi is fine."

"… Mayumi then. I realize that this may be a bit rude of me to suggest so suddenly, but please allow me to accompany you back home tomorrow?"

"Eh?", Mayumi was perplexed to the degree that she couldn't decide whether to be embarrassed or surprised.

She settled for the safer option, but couldn't hide the fact that her face had regained much of it's youthful color.

"I mean, why would you go as far as to accompany me? Though only verbal confirmation, we have received Yotsuba Maya's word that our lives would be spared."

"Her actual words were 'limiting the attempts on our life', not halting them completely. She likely meant that she wouldn't send the Yotsuba's entire military force, as such a large scale incident would only harm them in the future, which means that we should expect smaller groups of expert magicians. Additionally, I doubt even the Yotsuba would be able to recover too quickly from a setback as large as the one they have suffered today, so it is safe to assume that the attacks will only start tomorrow or the day after."

"What? Then what was the point of this deal when you would be disadvantaged from the very beginning? Why didn't you change the conditions?"

At Mayumi's desperate complaint, Tatsuya simply eyed her petite figure with genuine surprise.

"What do you mean the deal is not in my favor?"

"Eh…?"

"As I said, due to Yotsuba Maya's promise to limit the magnitude of military action, we can expect smaller groups of magicians as opposed to larger units. Personally I would find it more convenient if they were to come at me one by one, and if the strike force is smaller, the clean up will be more efficient as well. But more importantly…"

Tatsuya slipped a wicked tone into his explanatory voice.

"The reason why I didn't correct her was because I want them to attack me."

"You … you plan to capture them?"

"I failed to do so in our last encounter, but as long as we have one of their magicians in our custody, it is only a matter of time before we can narrow down their base of operations. Once the location of their hideout is confirmed I can attack them at will."

Tatsuya's fearless declaration seemed almost a bit too eager, which could have given away the impression that he enjoyed the thrill of battle. Of course that was not the case at all. Despite having grown up under military service, Tatsuya was not one to needlessly spill blood for no better reason than because he could, nor one to spare his enemies due to compassion and empathy. Tatsuya existed in the fine line that existed between these two, which meant that he would refrain from killing if he had to, but if a threat to his life would ever arise … he would not hesitate to eradicate that threat by any means possible.

Mayumi understood that, and was frightened by the quandary that only seemed to become more complex.

"Tatsuya what … just who are you?"

Tatsuya's gaze narrowed, further thinning his keen eyes.

Should he tell her? What else was there that had not yet been voiced? Though not sure to which extent, Mayumi had likely witnessed his powers in action already, and her involvement with the Yotsuba was practically guaranteed at this point. Keeping any more information from her would only complicate things in the future and restrict his movement.

"There have always been mysteries surrounding my past as I knew it, but thanks to Yotsuba Maya I now have a better grasp on my upbringing than before."

Tatsuya's ambitious statement revealed not a sliver of information while building the tension surrounding the mystery of his past. Mayumi, who had yet to decide what to think of the mysterious existence called "Shiba Tatsuya", was barely able to keep herself sitting on the edge of her seat as she urged Tatsuya on with wide eyes.

"This might take while. If possible I would feel more comfortable sitting on a chair rather than a lady's bed", Tatsuya unexpectedly with a warm smile.

It seemed that Mayumi had already completely disregarded the fact that they were currently situated within her very own room, with Tatsuya occupying the space she reserved for sleeping to boot, and thus required a full second to make sense of Tatsuya's suggestion. It appeared that Mayumi, while not consciously aware of it herself, adapted a much meeker personality in the confines of her own room, which was only reasonable when considering that, despite their status and power, Mayumi and Tatsuya were merely high-school students in the spring of their youth after all.

In any case, Mayumi abruptly rose to her feet and awkwardly shook her head in agreement while chanting, "Of course how rude of me!", multiple times before heading over to the intercom next to her door to call for her personal maid.

Mayumi had brought in Tatsuya without the father's knowledge, or rather, she allowed Tatsuya entrance without officially informing her father beforehand. Considering her father's personality, he was possibly aware of the presence of a stranger in his household already, but likely didn't care enough to pay it any further thought. Even if the man she attempted to sneak in was an underclassman of similar age. All things considered, the true reason why Mayumi tried so hard to conceal Tatsuya's presence was most definitely because of her awareness of herself as the eldest daughter of the Saegusa … a meticulously sought after candidate of marriage.

Whether she acted on her social obligations or bashful innocence was yet to be known, but the the fact remained that Mayumi was the eldest daughter of the Saegusa, and as such, was assigned her own personal maid. It went without saying that sneaking anything, much less a grown man, past the watchful eyes of her personal caretaker was impossible. Therefore, her maid was turned into an accomplice.

Calmly pouring two steaming cups of Mayumi's favorite tea into a tea-set usually reserved for important political guests, the maid followed perfect decorum and seemed not at all surprised by Tatsuya's presence. However, far from ignoring him, after further observation one could notice that she wore a rather mischievous expression as she frequently cast curious glances into his direction. As the maid personally responsible for Mayumi's needs, it was only natural for her to be interested in the man her mistress had brought into her own room

 _"After all, she is at that age"_ , were the words clearly written on her face.

Tatsuya and Mayumi simply pretended not to notice.

After the maid left, the pair took a collective sip of tea to wet their throats before continuing where they left off.

"Yotsuba Maya confirmed my lineage, and with that, my connection to the Yotsuba. That at least explains why I was orphaned at such a young age."

"Tatsuya is an orphan?"

"As far as I can remember, yes. At the age of three I was given to Major General Saeki by a person whose identity we are still unable to confirm until today-"

"Major General Saeki?! The 'Silver Fox' celebrated for her achievements in the Great Indochina War?! Then by 'we' you mean the JSDF?!"

"… Mayumi, I can understand that this might be a bit of a surprise to you, but please let me finish my story first."

"Ah! Right, I apologize", Mayumi sullenly lowered her eyes while taking another sip of tea.

"In any case, even back then Major General Saeki was known for her opposition of the Master Clan system, so the person who had handed me over must have done so with the intent of keeping me away from the Yotsuba. For whatever reason, Major Saeki agreed to this outlandish request, and it wasn't soon after that that they discovered my ability."

Mayumi shoot Tatsuya another curious glance under cover of her cup.

"As unbelievable as it is, I am completely unable to use Systematic Magic."

"… then what about your entrance exam scores?"

"Instead of processing magic, I copy any Magic Sequences I see and reflect that separate Information Body back at the Eidos at a later time. Since I merely copy them I cannot alter them, but due to skipping the calculation process altogether I am able to cast the magic nearly instantly. I call this ability Flash Cast, though it might be more appropriate to call it an application of Regrowth."

"Flash Cast? Regrowth? No, more importantly, wouldn't that require to completely analyze every aspect of the Magic Sequence in an instant!"

"Exactly."

"Wha-"

"I am able to perceive the world through the Idea. Eidos, Psions, Pushions, to an extent I am able to submerge my consciousness in the Information Dimension and directly observe the raw information that is present."

Mayumi froze with her mouth agape. The resulting unladylike appearance that was unbefitting to her nature was the least of her worries.

"Additionally, after analyzing the structure of information, I am able to take it apart. This is possible with both Eidos and Psions, or in other words, physical objects and magic."

"Is that how you countered Yotsuba Maya's magic?"

"Precisely."

While still unable to fully process the information provided by Tatsuya, Mayumi at least understood it to the point of regaining her composure.

"Back to the main topic. After Major General Saeki discovered this ability of mine, I was assigned to Major Kazama who then supervised my training. Eventually, under orders of Major General Saeki, he headed the 101 Independent Magic Equipped Battalion with the intention of creating a magic military force independent of the magical might of the Ten Master Clans. I have been given the rank of Special Lieutenant ever since it's creation and am attending high school to cover up my connection to the military. Upon graduation, I am to join the JSDF as a full fledged soldier. As you might assume, my existence is one that naturally stands in opposition with the Yotsuba … which is all the more ironic when considering that I am supposed to be a part of them."

"But if you were born a Yotsuba, then why would they give you away without reason? Surely they won't abandon a magician as talented as you are, and it is all the more unlikely that a third party could have kidnapped a child of someone related to Yotsuba Maya and gotten away with it."

"That is the same question I am asking myself."

"So we are at a dead end?"

"For the time being, yes."

Refiling their cups of tea, Mayumi and Tatsuya took a moment to reorganize their thoughts before continuing.

"In that case, would you mind telling me about your run in with Miyuki and the rest?"

"Oh? I am surprised you would still ask me for the details after observing most if it yourself."

"… you. How did you…?"

"I believe I mentioned it before, but I am able to view the world through the Information Dimension. As such, I was able to notice your use Extra-Sensory-Perception Magic."

Mayumi's ears reddened in contrast to the chilling glint in her eyes.

Tatsuya reacted with a perplexed expression.

"Did I say something that might have offended you?"

"No but… what else can you see with that eye of yours?"

"…"

It wasn't that Tatsuya was too dense to react to the implications made by Mayumi, but because he was honestly at a loss for words. This certain method his ability could be utilized in had never even crossed his mind.

Deciding to honor Tatsuya's chivalry, Mayumi dropped the act and lowered her shoulders in a soft shrug … in the first place, was it possible to peep at something like that through the Information Dimension?

"Anyway, Even though I 'saw' what happened, I wasn't actually there myself. Additionally, I was busy fending off enemy forces at the same time so I couldn't direct my full attention to your battle."

"I see, then let me start from the beginning."

* * *

"Ahhh~ It is still hard to believe that Miyuki is a Yotsuba though."

Mayumi lay outstretched on the tea table while shamelessly breathing a heartfelt yawn. They had talked for almost two hours already and the fatigue was finally settling in. Usually Mayumi would never allow herself to act like this in front of her peers, but her bond with Tatsuya had rapidly evolved into that of familiarity and trust due to the circumstances they found themselves in. As such, she felt no reason to keep up her walls around him anymore, and was delighted by the newfound sense of freedom.

However, even the most tranquil peace was bound to be torn apart sooner or later.

"Onee-chan!?"

"Nee-sama?"

Two young girls suddenly burst into Mayumi's room without a warning. Their flushed faces and erratic breathing implied that they had been in a great hurry.

Tatsuya's body stiffened in his chair while Mayumi muttered a bewildered, "huh?"

"Onee-chan, we found out that you invited a man into your room without telling father! Who is this guy!?"

"Could he be nee-sama's secret boyfriend?"

Magic was neither the product of legends nor fairy tales, but instead has become a widespread science amongst the current economic leaders of this world.

Magic was able to conjure previously unthinkable phenomena and cause incidents humanity would have undoubtedly labeled as "miracles" just a century earlier.

However, in this moment, it wasn't magic that formed the steam gathering atop Mayumi's head, nor was it responsible for the reddened shade of her usually fair skin tone.

Tatsuya closed his eyes and gave up on surviving the ensuing chaos.

Out of respect for Mayumi's dignity and grace, the following events will be disclosed at a later time.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note**

Hello everybody.

I think it is unnecessary to confirm it after the last chapter, but yes, this fan fiction will feature Mayumi as a major side-character. No offense to Miyuki, whom I consider to be a brilliant character to the story while also being completely and utterly appalled by her personality, but just can't bring myself to imagine anything but a sibling relationship between her and Tatsuya. Oh well, this debate has been going on for far too long. There is no need for me to add oil to the flames this late into the game.

More importantly, some of you have pointed out important flaws and/or shortcomings in my writing, observations that I completely agree with. "Show don't tell" is probably the first advice given by and middle-school teacher in literature class ever, and it is a concept I have seemingly ignored due to dictatorial style of writing. Friends have told me time and time again that my writing style resembles that of an essay and presents the plot in the form of factual claims as opposed to gradual development. This isn't me roasting my own work, but a confession of my flaws as an amateur writer. While I catch myself every now and then, it is hard for me to weed through these issues by myself and can therefore only do so much. Again, this is not me being self-depreciative but simply me giving you guys an account of my capabilities. I just wanted to mention this because I don't want you to think that I am ignoring this, but I am in fact aware of it ... I simply have a problem improving.

In any case, self-evaluation aside, this is the 6th chapter of my story. I'll try my best to include some of the other side characters, but it is unlikely for most of the supporting cast to make a relevant appearance in my story due to their incompatibility with the plot I want to explore. Sure, I could stray off the main story for a while and go more into the high-school life of Shiba Tatsuya, but I would judge a "filler episode" much like that one ... boring I guess I would have to say. From the beginning I had a story and a conclusion in mind that I wanted to tell, and therefore I will do my best to put these thoughts into writing getting too distracted. As much as I adore Mari and Tatsuya's quartet of friends, I reluctant to admit that these undeniably awesome characters will have to wait for the main story to be concluded .

Though after this story is over, the title "Yotsuba's Trepidation" wouldn't really fit any more ... meh.

You guys waited long enough, here is another peaceful chapter. You need to properly developed the calm before the storm after all xD

* * *

Tatsuya gently massaged his temple after swiping his keycard through the information panel installed within the elevator, granting himself access to the topmost penthouse suite of the apartment complex. Comments regarding his extravagant living situation aside, he was pensively concerned that he might have caught a cold, seeing as his sporadic headaches had been plaguing him for the entire day already.

 _"…_ _one day?"_

Tatsuya stopped the circular movement of his fingers to stop and recall the number of events that had occurred one after another. To start with, today had been his first day of high-school, a monumental (?) milestone in his life and the culmination of his teenage years. Though he had wished for a quiet and peaceful high-school life together with Honoka and Shizuku, that illusion was immediately shattered by the appearance of the first year representative Shiba Miyuki. In the first place, his own surname was but a mere keepsake of the past left by whoever handed him over to General Saeki so he didn't put much thought into the strange coincidence, but again his optimistic expectations were instantly debunked. Aside from being blood related siblings, Miyuki was a direct descent of the main house of the Yotsuba, the most feared and arguably the most powerful house of the Ten Master Clans. To make things worse, instead of welcoming back their long lost heir with open arms they had openly shown their intent to exterminate him though any means necessary and had only agreed with the compromise to limit their attempts on his life after being threatened with the assassination of three of their highly valued magicians by none other but Tatsuya himself.

Tatsuya reckoned that even Yakumo himself would have been surprised by this turn of events. If there was one good thing about his first day of high-school, it would have been the promised safety of his two childhood friends and the appearance of a certain woman.

 _"…"_ , Tatsuya chided himself for recalling the recent event as he slumped against the elevator walls, another headache resurfacing as he did so.

Saegusa Kasumi and Saegusa Izumi were Mayumi's younger twin siblings.

They were without a doubt well-behaved and worthy representatives of the Saegusa name, though they shared a rather passionate affection for their elder sister. Dubbing their behavior as "overprotective" wouldn't be too far off either.

Neither Mayumi nor Tatsuya could offer any sort of believable excuse when subjected by the speculative accusations of her twin sisters, especially when taking the disheveled appearance of her queen sized bed into account. Apparently Tatsuya had also been the only similarly aged male ever to see the interior of her personal space.

However, theatrics aside, neither Mayumi nor Tatsuya wished to drag these two into the family feud between Tatsuya and the Yotsuba and thus were unable to explain just what exactly they had been doing for … well over 2 hours in her bedroom. Kasumi and Izumi were at that age after all, so dangerous speculations were to be expected.

In the end they were somehow able to convince them that Tatsuya had come for Student Council business. Whether they actually believed it or not didn't matter at this point, and Mayumi was relieved that her siblings didn't yet know the restriction imposed on Second Course students regarding seats in the Student Council. All she could do now was pray that neither of them would remember this flimsy excuse when they entered First High the following year.

Tatsuya thought this to be a good opportunity to take his leave after scheduling a meeting with Mayumi the following day. They had a lot of topics they still had to discuss, the most significant being their strategy in their upcoming struggle with the Yotsuba.

An artificial bell sound rung out as the elevator reacher it's destination.

The apartment building owned by the Kitayama group was as grandiose as one would expect from the prestigious name. Though among their smaller projects, the structure was multiple stories high and divided into two blocks with three elevators each. Two elevators accommodated the regular residents and had access to all public floors and facilities, while the third was exclusively for premium members. That elevator required a keycard and security code to operate, and granted access to public recreation center on the third floor, as well as a members only lounge and fitness studio on the fiftieth floor. Furthermore, these elevators were the only way to reach the penthouse suites located at the very top of the tower, and thus led directly into the room itself.

Because of that, as soon as the elevator doors opened, Tatsuya was greeted by the sight of Shizuku and Honoka sipping out of half emptied cups of milk tea.

"Tatsuya!"

Shizuku was the first to notice his arrival and immediately jolted into an upright position, nearly spilling the contents of her cup in the process.

Honoka's reaction was slightly less composed, actually emptying the contents of her cup onto the wooden coffee table as she darted across the spacious living room. It didn't seem like neither her nor her long-time friend cared much for the spilled liquid however.

"Tatsuya are you alright!? Are you hurt anywhere? What happened!?"

Honoka frantically tried to examine Tatsuya for any injuries he might have, hesitant to touch him directly but similarly uncomfortable at being unable to confirm whether or not he was actually unharmed. Tatsuya gently cupped Honoka's trembling hands with his own to lessen her hysteric fever and captured her eyes with his own.

"I'm fine Honoka. There is nothing to worry about", Tatsuya promised in a comforting tone, expending his best efforts to dispel Honoka's anxiousness.

The result was immediate. Honoka's visibly tense body suddenly slackened and worry clouding her eyes was instead washed away by salty tears. Throwing herself into Tatsuya's chest, cared little about allowing him to see a more vulnerable side of herself.

"Tatsuya…", in contrast to Honoka, Shizuku seemed to be concerned about something else entirely, "… who were those people? I know you sent us away for our own good but…"

Her fingernails dug into her arm as she remembered her own helplessness. Though never caring much for the many people that labeled her a "genius" for being able to use Phonon Maser at an extraordinarily young age, the shame and guilt of being unable to do anything at all infuriated her above all else. Her inability had endangered the life of Tatsuya … of Honoka.

"Please tell us. What exactly happened back then?"

Though Shizuku tried her best to deliver her resolution without showing her inner turmoil, or maybe it was precisely because of the unfamiliar emotions swirling within her, her crossed arms showed but a hint of a suppressed shiver.

Tatsuya lowered his eyes for just a second, hardened his lips for merely and instant, but recovered himself before Shizuku and Honoka could notice. He had no choice but to lie to them … and he hated himself for acknowledging this to be the optimal path.

"Please take a seat and relax first, I'll prepare something to drink."

"There's no need for that," was Shizuku's immediate reply, pointing at the steaming cup of coffee sitting next to Shizuku's and Honoka's own cups.

Had they been using magic to keep it warm?  
They had certainly come prepared.

Even though another reminder would be unnecessary at this point, this apartment complex was owned by the Kitayama Group. Kitayama Ushio had offered Tatsuya one of it's rooms while it was still under construction and modified the topmost floor to act as a state of the art CAD adjustment facility for Tatsuya's personal use. Due to his status as Shizuku's personal engineer, she would frequently visit his apartment on a weekly basis to take care of any adjustments and modifications to her CAD, which made Tatsuya wonder whether or not this was Ushio's true intention behind his seemingly spontaneous act of generosity. In any case, the obligatory weekly visit slowly became the act of two friends spending time together, and the frequent appearance of Honoka only added to the more relaxed atmosphere.

However, with the increased familiarity and comfort came the disregard for Tatsuya's own privacy. As opposed to waiting in the lobby to wait for Tatsuya to pick them up, a wait no longer than a minute, Shizuku had taken the liberty to acquire an administrative keycard of her own through mysterious means, letting herself in on multiple occasions to bypass the minimal wait in the lobby altogether. Surprisingly enough, this relatively direct approach only started after Tatsuya had gotten to know Honoka. Over time, he had eventually gotten used to Shizuku abusing her status as Ushio's daughter, doubting that he could convince the stubborn mind of the seemingly nonchalant teen of otherwise, and was thus not surprised by the cup of coffee served in his favorite cup no less.

Kitayama Shizuku was truly a force to be reckoned with.

Guiding them to the couches surrounding the coffee table and motioning them to sit, Tatsuya took a sip of the meticulously prepared coffee, taking notice of Honoka's fixed gaze. She was likely the one who had prepared it.

"The attack today was likely a corporate incident."

Tatsuya started his explanation with a vague statement to gauge the reaction of the two girls to his fabricated lie. Honoka's eyes widened while Shizuku's narrowed. As he expected, Shizuku was the real hurdle he had to overcome.

"Then why did Miyuki attack us? I'm not entirely sure … but she used Outer-Systematic Magic didn't she?", Honoka cluelessly inquired.

The trust she placed in Tatsuya blinded her to the extent that she wouldn't ever judge his assertions to be anything but the truth. The curse inbred into her genes as a descended of the Elements had never been more painfully obvious to Tatsuya and Shizuku alike.

Still … Tatsuya had no choice but to take advantage of her misplaced trust.

"You are correct. Both of you certainly felt the activation of Psions and the deployment of magic, but it was obvious that it was neither Systematic or Non-Systematic Magic. You felt something akin to an arctic chill, or even the fear of death, right?"

"I … yes I did. Was that the Outer-Systematic Magic?"

"In a way it was, but also it wasn't. As opposed to Systematic-Magic that targets Eidos and Non-Systematic Magic that manipulates the Psions within your own body, Outer-Systematic Magic acts on the Psions and Pushions related to the 'Consciousness' of an organism, collectively known as the 'Psion Information Body'. Your body actually didn't shiver, right? The chill we felt was something targeted at our souls themselves, which made the magic much more frightening than ordinary Freezing Magic. Well, at least that is what the magician wanted us to think."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"I didn't realize it in the beginning either, but the perpetrator of this incident was actually a skilled Ancient Magician who specialized in Mental-Interference Magic. He basically trapped us in an illusion to frighten us, and once we were confused by one of our fellow classmates attacking us with unknown magic, our own fear only strengthen the effect of the magic and prevented us from realizing that we were trapped in an illusion all along."

"It was all … fake?"

"That's right. In the first place, it would be absolutely absurd for Miyuki, a girl we have barely met, to attack us out of the blue without a reason right? Also, do you really think that anyone could take Shizuku's Phonon Maser head on and survive unscathed like that?"

"That's not possible. Phonon Maser is a high class magic on the same level as Inferno, there is no way for someone to stop it with simple Oscillation-Type Magic that easily…"

"Exactly. The perpetrator likely showed us this illusion to shock us. The actual attack just passed through thin air while we thought it was stopped by Miyuki."

"Then … then why did he do something like that?"

"I mentioned before that this was probably a corporate incident right? Though I am unsure whether the actual target was me as the lead researcher for KitayamaTech, or Shizuku as the the daughter of a financial giant, it was likely one of these or both. The group that sent him may have been a rival company or simply a private group out for ransom. For all we knew it could have been an attack orchestrated by Traditionalists who wanted to slow the development of modern magic. As I mentioned before, they probably just used Miyuki's identity to startle us, but it also may have been a way for the assailant to hide his identity … which I have to admit was pretty effective. Neither of us even considered Miyuki to be just an illusion, since we've only just met her and frankly don't know her very well yet. Whoever the magician was he must have figured that using Miyuki's appearance would create the greatest effect. They probably followed us during the day and attacked when we were the most vulnerable."

"Is he… did you manage to catch him?"

"Thanks to you I was. Mayumi arrived just in time to tell me that I was fighting and illusionist. Since she came from the outside, she wasn't affected by the Outer-Systematic Magic and pulled me out of my trance. If you hadn't informed Mayumi of the situation and asked her to help me, I probably would have been kidnapped or worse. The magician is currently in custody of the Ten Master Clans for attacking one of their own so I doubt we will have a chance to interrogate him on our own."

Tatsuya simultaneously provided a unfalsifiable explanation while burning any bridges that might have lead to them to the truth. The scenario was vague enough to prevent inconsistencies and detailed enough to explain the most important issues. Him and Mayumi had decided on this excuse together, and by having the Saegusa "take custody" of the perpetrator, not even Kitayama would have been able to verify his existence.

"I see … show that's how it was."

It pained Tatsuya to shamelessly take advantage of Honoka's trust, but this was the only way for her to continue a peaceful existence free of the Yotsuba's malice. It wasn't only Tatsuya who judged himself for his questionable behavior. Having remained silent for the entire conversation, Shizuku hid her displeasure behind her usual stoic mask to play along with Tatsuya's act and convince Honoka of the blatant lie. Still, Tatsuya practically felt her overbearing pressure pierce his skin.

"Yes, so there is nothing for you to worry about. Mayumi is taking care of the clean up so I think we should just leave the rest to her. In any case, it's already late and you probably haven't eaten dinner yet, right? I'll cook for you tonight to make up for the trouble I have caused you both."

Honoka rejoiced with a hesitant smile. She couldn't completely dismiss that day's incident as nothing, but at the same time it wasn't like she was able to do anything about it either. Deciding that it was best to take it easy for the night, she slowly reverted back to her cheerful persona.

"Honoka. Take care of the dishes. I'll help Tatsuya in the kitchen", Shizuku instructed as she gathered the empty cups and darted away before Honoka was able to object.

Regretful of the lost opportunity, Honoka headed towards the cabinet that housed the dished regardless.

As Tatsuya stepped into the kitchen it became clear to him that Shizuku wasn't ready to end the conversation just yet. In a hushed voice, Shizuku dropped her stoic mask and didn't bother to reign in her resentment.

"I didn't object to anything because it was for Honoka's sake, but do you really think that I wouldn't be aware of what happened to my own magic? You know as well as I do that Phonon Maser was completely obliterated … splendidly at that. Why are you lying to us?"

"…"

"Is it the Saegusa?"

"No. Mayumi has come to my aid. There is no gag order issued by the Saegusa family."

"Then it's someone else… Is it whoever was behind that attack?"

Tatsuya regretted taking someone like Shizuku lightly simply because she was his close friend. Her intuition was extraordinarily sharp. Noticing his unwillingness to talk, Shizuku took a deep breath and crossed her arms. Almost visibly, her resentment shifted from Tatsuya to herself.

"Saegusa-san probably knows the truth doesn't she?"

Again, Tatsuya remained still.

"Is it because she has the power to protect herself?"

"No that's …"

"You don't have to deny it. My only means of attack are Vibration Magic and and Phonon Maser, both of which have been proven useless against magicians of Miyuki's caliber. Honoka is talented but…"

"…she is not fit for combat."

By completing her assessment, Tatsuya proved Shizuku's concern. She was glad he cared for her, but at the same time mortified by her own inability. She had grown up caring for Honoka ever since they were young, a mission that was soon adapted by the entirety of her family, defending her from those that may had wished to take advantage of her weak personality. As such, just as Honoka had become the unofficial "daughter" of the Kitayama, so too has she become something akin to a sister to Shizuku, a bond that far transcended mere friendship. Her desire to protect her far exceeded that of anyone else's, and precisely because of that she understood the motivation behind Tatsuya's own behavior.

Her and Honoka were weak, magicians unfit for the heat of combat, unfit to stand by Tatsuya and fight alongside him.

Noticing a thick cloud of gloom and guilt residing within Tatsuya's hesitant expression, Shizuku relaxed her the tight grip on her forearm that was undoubtedly bruised at this point.

"It's fine Tatsuya, I'll stop asking. I don't have the right to complain since I played along with your lie in the first place. But in exchange…"

Shizuku uncrossed her arms and stepped up to her opposite.

"…make me stronger. I always thought just staying the way I was was good enough. I am arrogantly aware of my skill in magic and never felt the need to improve because of that."

A cold and unrelenting flame now burned within her determined glare. Even if he refused, she would likely find another way to accomplish whatever plan had formed in her mind.

"Honoka is the same as me. No. She probably wants to become stronger even more than I do because of you. So Tatsuya. Make us stronger. I don't care if you don't want to tell us the truth now, so just tell us once we are strong enough to protect ourselves."

"I…"

Tatsuya was speechless. He had never seen Shizuku become so passionate about anything, never realized that his attempt to protect them would backfire this magnificently. It started with a chuckle, but eventually he broke into unrestrained laugher.

Shizuku didn't chide him for his seemingly rude reaction and joined him with a mellow smile herself.

"I cant believe how much you've grown", Tatsuya tease as he wiped a droplet of salt from his eyes.

"Don't talk like father … it's weird."

Tatsuya raised his hand in an apologetic manner, though their eye contact remained unbroken.

"Do you remember the idea I had for your Speed Shooting debut this year?"

A glint of apprehension and excitement flashed through her grey pupils.

"I also have a concept for a … special magic for Honoka. I got the idea after a certain incident today and I think that it would suit her rather well. First and foremost I am the personal engineer of Kitayama Shizuku, eldest daughter to financial genius Kitayama Ushio and expert magician Kitayama Benio. It would be shameful of me not to answer to your requests."

"Don't think that flattery is going to do you any good at this point. Do your job or I'll lower your pay", Shizuku harshly stated as she passed Tatsuya on her way outside the kitchen, though the color of her face seemed to be a shade deeper.

Tatsuya regarded his friend's departure with relief. Though reluctant to agree with his playful superior's teasing remarks, it seemed that Fujibayashi wasn't in the wrong when telling him about the importance of friends … though that advice was cliché enough to make him question whether or not he should seriously give her credit for voicing it.

To round up the joyous atmosphere, Honoka curiously peeked her head into the kitchen as she finished setting the table a bit too decoratively.

"Did I just hear Tatsuya laugh? What happened?"

Not many people were aware of this fact since she didn't have too many friends, but Shizuku was the type of person who held grudges.

"It seemed that Tatsuya and Saegusa-san have gotten uncomfortably close during the time we were waiting for him?"

"Eh?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't you think it is suspicious that he has been referring to her by her first name this entire time Honoka?"

"Now that I think about it…"

"Wait a second Shizuku. Saegusa-senpai only rescued me when-"

"Don't bother changing it now Tatsuya, it only makes you more suspicious."

"Tatsuya … is it true?"

Tatsuya couldn't ignore the overbearing sense of deja vu that made itself known to him. The complicated expression on his face as well as the bead of sweat that travelled down his forehead charged him guilty of whatever crime he was accused of now, and once again, he had no proper excuse to offer in retaliation.

He doubted he would be able to sleep early tonight.

* * *

"I apologize if my call was a bit sudden."

"No not at all. In fact, we were just about to contact you ourselves."

After Tatsuya had dealt with the explosive situation orchestrated by none other but Shizuku herself, he had returned to his study and immediately begun to get in contact with the 101 Battalion. Though most of the facilities in this apartment were provided by the Kitayama Group, he had specifically asked Fujibayashi to set up a secure connection outside of the Kitayama sphere of influence to prevent them from finding out about his classified connection to the military. Tatsuya honestly considered the possibility of Ushio monitoring his actions absurd, but realized that taking protective measures concerning military matters was necessary regardless.

After making contact with Lieutenant Fujibayashi Kyouko, the member of the 101 Battalion he was most comfortable speaking with, he had noticed the fatigue present on her charming face and apologized accordingly.

"Still, it is because of me that you have been working extra hours, is it not?"

"A thing such as 'overtime' does not exist in our profession because … oh never mind. That was a joke wasn't it?"

"For you to ask something like that, you have been using your magic for the entire day, haven't you?"

Fujibayashi raised her eyebrow at first, but after realizing that her conversational partner was Tatsuya she carelessly leaned back against her chair to relax her tense back muscles. Before she could voice a question, Tatsuya assured her that he didn't mind her informal behavior, partially because he was the cause of her fatigue.

"I take it you found something if value then?"

"Well, it's not everyday that you get the chance to go up against the Yotsuba themselves, so I didn't hold back at least."

"Then regarding Shiba Miyuki…"

"I'm afraid it's the truth."

"Can you elaborate?"

Fujibayashi eyed the strangely serious attitude of her opposite. Rather than strange, I may just be normal for an orphaned child to want to find out more about his true parents after all.

"Her father is man called Shiba Tatsurou, the vice-president of a minor company by the name of FLT that is a provider for spare parts. I believe they've made contact with you before?"

"Yes, we use their parts for our general CAD models. Their parts are cheap and of decent quality, but we use a different manufacturer for our Silver Series."

"And?"

Tatsuya could read the underlying concern behind her behind her words. Though officially his superior in terms of rank, it seemed that she also cared for him as a friend.

"… I never met Tatsurou-san himself. In the first place, it is the Kitayama that are responsible for finances and negations, I am simply the one handing out the instructions."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"I … never mind. So what about mo- … what about his wife?"

"He is currently married to Shiba Sayuri, formerly known as Furuha Sayuri, and it seems that they had been lovers before the Yotsuba intervened and engaged him to one of their own."

"Intervened? Do you have any data on his genetic history?"

"I couldn't find anything of value, but at the same time it didn't seem like his family line was particularly underdeveloped either. He does have an extraordinary high Psion count however, a trait you have undoubtedly inherited."

Tatsuya lowered his gaze onto his unclenched palm, thinking back on the many times he had relied on Gram Demolition in the past.

"You mentioned that Sayuri was currently married to him and that he was pressured into marrying a Yotsuba. Who was his first wife?"

"Shiba Miya. She … she was your mother."

"Was?"

"She died several years ago to illness. She was undoubtedly your mother, as well as Yotsuba Maya's sister."

"So she's dead …"

Fujibayashi instantly regretted telling Tatsuya about his biological mother's demise. True, he had retained no memories of her and thus had no emotional attachment to her passing, but at the same time he had lost his chance of ever meeting her as well. It wasn't a mother he had lost, but the possibility of ever meeting her … of ever finding out why she had let go of him.

Tatsuya finally caught himself after noting the heavy atmosphere he had created.

"I apologize, I lost myself in thought without realizing. You are exhausted from your work so let's continue with the topic at hand."

"You … don't push yourself too hard Tatsuya."

This time it was Tatsuya's turn to cheer up his worried superior.

"Don't worry about me. If I ever have trouble dealing with my issues, you will be second person I will confide in."

"Second? Whom are you going to call first?"

"Why, obviously that would be Yakumo-sensei."

"… I am telling you this in place of your late mother, but you should stay away from suspicious people."

"Wouldn't that include Captain Yanagi as well though?"

"Yanagi? He just has trouble expressing his emotions. I guess he is what people would have called a 'tsundere' several years ago."

It was Tatsuya's mask that cracked first as he broke into a wry grin, prompting Fujibayashi to grace him with a smile of her own.

"In any case, did you have any luck finding out about their base of operations?"

"That's the issue I've been stuck on for several hours now. The Yotsuba seem to have numerous proxy households they use for official meetings and events, but the core of their military strength remains yet unknown."

"I am surprised. To hide a secret from the Electron Sorceress herself … I guess I should say 'as expected of the Yotsuba'?"

"As hard as it is to admit, but yes, they got me this time. Without a lead it is practically impossible to narrow down the list of possible locations."

"… then let's assume, what if you only had to focus your search on the area around the Nagano Prefecture?"

"It can't guarantee anything but … I may be able to find something at least. What makes you say that?"

"Did you read my report I sent you a few hours ago?"

"At this point even Major General Saeki has read that report Tatsuya."

"Well, then as you know I faced an opponent with the power to 'connect' Eidos. By merging the relative location of two locations he knitted space together and created something akin to a portal between my location and that of his origin. I wasn't able to look beyond it for too long, and neither have I been able to confirm my hunch, but I believe he might have come form an area around the Nagano Prefecture."

"Is that also why you didn't object to Maya's intention of sending more assassins after you?"

"Correct. Now that they know about my Mist Dispersion, it would be too risky to send any magicians without the support of his counter-magic. When that happens, I'll have another chance to look beyond the portal and find out exactly where their base of operations is."

"Wouldn't they be aware of this risk though? If I was aware of your Elemental Sight, I would simply have my forces arrive ahead of time. Wouldn't he be given instructions not to use his portal under any circumstances?"

"It is that very ability of mine that allows me to look into his mind. Even if Mental-Interference Magic or brainwashing was used to silence him, I will unlock the secrets of his origin as long as I am able to apprehend him."

"… then what are you going to do once you find out their base of operations?"

"I will wipe them out. A threat to myself and my friends; I will not allow a force like that to exist."


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note**

Yeah… that didn't turn out like I intended xD  
I initially wanted the first scene to be ominous and foreboding, something that would make you guys think, "oh no, who is after Tatsuya now!?", but instead it turned into a lovebird's nest T.T

Naming them they way I did was probably not the best idea now that I think about it …?

* * *

"Himeko! Himeko are you ready? I'm coming in."

After a number of unanswered knocks, a brown haired male simply strode into the woman's private quarters without reservation. His athletic build was evident underneath his fitting shirt and tie, but his muscles were neither bulky nor disproportional. The word that would fit his body best would therefore be "lean". His hair was kept shorter than average to compliment his clean and professional appearance.

"Oh Yaegashi~ Sorry but I couldn't hear you because of the noise."

In perfect contrast to him, a half-naked woman was sprawled out on a massage chair wearing nothing but her underwear. Her wavy black hair reached just up to her shoulders, and her currently exposed body was alluring to the eyes. Her spotless skin was smooth and soft to the touch, her charming features rivaling that of a professional actress. She looked more like an idol than a magician employed by the Yotsuba.

"Weren't you supposed to get ready two hours ago? Why aren't you dressed yet? A woman such as yourself should be more aware of herself."

"Is that any way to address your lover?"

"Is that any way to treat your guardian?", Yaegashi curtly replied.

Himeko held her partner's gaze for a while, but he eventually diverted his eyes and turned to her closet. Satisfied, she lowered her head back onto the vibrating chair.

"Well, I can understand that you are upset that Maya-san didn't trust you enough to accompany me to Europe."

"It's unheard of, for a guardian to be apart from his master for a full week…", Yaegashi's frustration was evident as he shifted through Himeko's clothes in a brusque manner.

"Normally I would agree with you, but the mission this time was a bit special."

Approaching her with a fresh set of folded underwear and clothes in his left, and a glass of cold water in his right, Yaegashi urged her on with his eyes. Accepting the gesture and taking a sip, Himeko nodded in appreciation.

"The mission involved the Strategic-Class freak."

Yaegashi nearly cracked the glass his partner had handed back to him due to the shock.

"Her … so are the rumors true?"

"It would make sense if she were an Element like me, but her grasp of magic is abnormal. It makes sense that Maya-san would show special interest, considering that their specialties are rather similar."

Powering down the chair, Himeko walked towards the bathroom whilst shamelessly discarding her underwear on the way. As she sensually lowered herself into the milky bath she had prepared beforehand, her partner seated himself next to her.

 _"So it's coconut today …"_

"Then what about her magic?"

"It is still labeled 'experimental', but it seemed flawless to me already. I was dispatched to serve as her support, but it didn't use anything but my 'Range Reduction' for the entirety of the week. She took care of everything by herself."

Himeko noted her partner's silence.

"What's wrong?"

"… I just find it hard to believe that Maya succeeded in finding someone who could…"

"That magic is too powerful for it's own good though. It excels in destruction, but it lacks the scale of Itsuwa Mio's 'Abyss'. Additionally, it seems to put a lot of strain on her body, so she has been ordered to remain on standby for the remainder of the week."

"Isn't that because you let her do all the work?"

"…"

Droplets of water assaulted Yaegashi's back while the attacker lowered her face into the coconut scented water. A low chuckle escaped Yaegashi's lips for the first time today.

"In any case, I know you just returned in the early morning, but we have another assignment."

"Ahh~ Can't we just-"

"It is a direct order by Yotsuba Maya-sama, one of highest priority. I don't think we have the luxury to postpone this one."

"By Maya-san… What is the mission?"

"We are to eliminate a high-school student by the name of Shiba Tatsuya by the end of today. Though just a student, it seems that he is a military asset of extraordinary skill, one who has fought Shiba Miyuki-sama before and defeated her. Despite the Kuroba's assistance, they were only barely able to subjugate him, but he still managed to escape due to Saegusa Mayumi's assistance. They are likely going to be acting together. I believe that is the main reason the two of us were chosen for this task."

"Miyuki defeated?! And why would a Saegusa … Do we know anything about his abilities."

"I have his file prepared and we can review it while you partake in your breakfast. We will also be assisted by a magician of the main household. We will be meeting up with him on a specified location. There is no real need to cooperate with him since he apparently has no skill in actual combat. I was told that he is able to perfectly counter our target's magic however."

"As long as he doesn't get in our way I guess. But still … Saegusa Mayumi you say?"

The air around Himeko shifted ominously as she focused her attention on the other name her partner had mentioned. Saegusa Mayumi. While the Saegusa family was known for their perfection in all aspect of Modern Magic, their eldest daughter was the first irregular who specialized in long-ranged anti-personnel magic. Rather than lacking in other aspects, it was more accurate to say that she simply excelled in this category. As such, despite just a high-school student, she was famed for her particular area of expertise and had become the unofficial authority on long-ranged combat oriented magic. It was perfectly plausible that she would keep this status after graduation.

Sharpening under Himeko's touch, the unnatural movement of air was not atmospheric, but a product of her magic. Just as Saegusa Mayumi was the authority on long-ranged magic, Himeko prided herself in being the natural enemy of long ranged magicians. Even though she didn't regard herself as particularly evil or sadistic, it excited her to be given the chance to test her Outer-Systematic Type Magic "Range Reduction" against a magician who specialized in long-range; a Saegusa no less.

"I see. Will I be taking care of our target as well?"

"No. I was told that Shiba Tatsuya-san is a Supernatural Power User of unprecedented ability, but with his abilities canceled out by the magician provided to us by the Yotsuba he would have no other significant means of attack. In the end it will come down to close-quarters combat."

"Pff-hahaha!"

"… master, please. As my master you should at least pay attention to your behavior. Please refrain from such unladylike laughter in the future."

"And as my lover you should at least treat me as a woman from time to time. There is such a thing as a woman's pride you know?"

The dysfunctional pair locked eyes once more, only this time Yaegashi didn't budge.

"Then why did you laugh?", he inquired as he loosened his necktie; the bathroom was getting rather heated.

"I just found it rather ironic how well they matched us."

Lowering his body to meet his lover's gaze, Yaegashi raised his right eyebrow.

"You're not worried?"

"Why should I be?"

Himeko's face flushed in a healthy color as she graced him with an unreserved smile.

"You will be with me after all."

* * *

Trains have all but disappeared in modern society and were instead replaced by smaller sized railcars that were controlled by a systematic traffic network. The railcars were designed to accommodate two to four people, placing emphasis on privacy and erasing the inconvenience caused by "full trains". Thus, it had become extremely unlikely for friends to accidentally meet on the way to school as each separate party would be arriving on separate railcars. As fate would have it however, four railcars entered the station at almost the exact same time. Tatsuya, Shizuku, and Honoka stepped out of their cabinet to be greeted by a group consisting of Erika, Mizuki, and Leo. Having just finished her polite greeting towards them, Miyuki turned to witness their arrival.

Miyuki had parted with their group in an awkward manner the day before, but the atmosphere seemed even more tense compared to then. She subconsciously raised her arms before her chest whilst taking a step back, wavering eyes fixed on Tatsuya's sharp gaze.

Tatsuya breathed out the air he had been holding in his lungs, softening his expression.

"Good morning Shiba-san, how have you been?"

"I- ahh… I've been doing well Shiba-kun. Please just call me Miyuki, since it would only be confusing if you were to call me by my surname."

"Then please do the same."

The tension that had previously existed between them crumbled into non-existence, and surprisingly enough, Tatsuya's magic had no part in that matter.

"Ehhh~ Tatsuya is quite the unexpected casanova. Hitting on a girl just because you share her last name. How bold of you."

"Erika! Don't say it out loud…", Mizuki instinctively scolded her friend without realizing that she admittedly agreed with Erika's accusation.

Leo didn't particularly care enough to join in on Erika's bandwagon, though the same couldn't be said for Miyuki. As the subject of Erika's attack, she politely denied the accusation by softly waving her hand before her.

"How could that be possible? After all we barely know each other."

 _"… she's surprisingly composed."_

Tatsuya had expected Miyuki to be far more distraught. He had been after her life not a few hours ago after all, and had planned to avoid her for the time being until they could resolve their issue in private. Meeting her like this was unexpected, but now that he thought about it, it might have been the best way to reset their relationship.

"That's right, Tatsuya has a secret girlfriend after all…"

The man in question clicked his tongue the moment Shizuku dropped that bombshell.

"Secret? Wait, so it's not Honoka?"

And it seemed like Leo also chose the worst possible time to voice his thoughts.

"That's … no. Of course not … w- we're just friends", was Honoka's panicked response as she shot multiple glances towards Tatsuya.

Though Shizuku remained stoic as always, Tatsuya could easily discern the victorious glint in her eyes. Whose victory and what kind of victory … Tatsuya had no idea.

"We are just going to bother others by standing in the middle of the arrival platform. Let's head to school."

"How boring", Erika complained as she followed Tatsuya's quick gait, not even bothering to conceal the fact that she had been enjoying herself throughout the whole exchange.

Nobody seemed to mind Tatsuya's brusque behavior however, and they eventually (belatedly) headed towards their original destination. On their way to school, Mizuki inevitably brought up a topic of great interest that had been circulating on the media since the day before.

"I heard that the explosion was caused by a terrorist attack?"

"No no, the Saegusa just released a public apology a few hours ago. Apparently they were attacked by a magician and had no choice but to defend themselves."

"Oh, as expected of a Chiba! You're well informed."

"But why blow up the railway? It seems a little overkill to me…"

"Maybe that just shows how powerful the Ten Master Clans are?"

"Did they say who was attacked?"

"Hmmm… I don't think they specified? The police force was kept out of this, so I don't know all that much either. Apparently it was an ambush."

"That's terrible!"

"Speaking of which…", addressing Tatsuya, Leo thought a bit before continuing speaking, "… didn't you mention that you live in that direction?"

Fortunately Shizuku and Honoka weren't the center of attention, as they would have instantly given it away. Tatsuya had asked them to keep quiet about the incident for now, it was presumably an attack targeted at the Kitayama family after all, so they simply continued walking. It was fortunate that, though accidentally, Shizuku and Honoka had sent Mayumi to Tatsuya's aid, as it now allowed him to take advantage of the Saegusa name to convince both the public and his friends of his innocence.

"I was lucky to have arrived home before the incident. I heard that the railway system was shut down in that area to prevent casualties, so it's good that I returned before that."

"So you have no leads either huh…", the disappointment in Leo's voice was palpable.

"Leo, I am asking you for your own good, but you weren't thinking of going after that guy yourself, right? He's been captured already anyway, so there's nothing you could do even if you were to look for him."

"Hahaha, I guess you're right!"

Tatsuya didn't know at the time, but Leo was a descendant of the German's "Burg Folge", a group of magicians genetically enhanced by animal DNA to augment their physical capabilities and strength. That very lineage showed itself in Leo's favored magic. His skill in reinforcement magic, a subclass of Convergence-Type Magic, was exceptional despite his status as a Second Course Student, exceptional enough to even outclass magic cast by First Course Students. Unfortunately, Leo's disposition was very limited, and he lacked talent in every other field of magic, which explained his enrollment into the Second Course.

The German research program was eventually discontinued, one of the many likely causes being the controversy caused by magicians being driven mad by their animal instincts conflicting with their human consciousness. Leo's grandfather fell victim to that very heritage. Though not to the extent of being traumatized by his grandfather's condition, Leo was frightened by the prospect of succumbing to his instincts just as his predecessors did, and thus decided to act on them rather than ignore them. It was for that reason that he let himself wander at night, motivated by no reason other than the urge to "wander". Similarly, his interest in the assailant could be best described as his innate territorial instinct, though his brazen personality was likewise to blame.

Erika didn't bother to hide her dissatisfaction either. Much like Leo, she also wished to fight the presumed terrorist, but unlike Leo, that desire was fueled purely by the untainted desire to fight; to test her skill in live combat.

"You guys are surprisingly similar", Tatsuya stated with honest astonishment.

On the surface they didn't seem to get along very well, starting superficial arguments whenever they met in class, but more than anyone in their current group they seemed to be a match made in heaven.

"Don't be stupid."

"We're nothing alike!"

"Heh…"

"What was that grin for!", Erika shouted unabashedly as her index finger hovered dangerously close to Tatsuya's face.

It seemed like he had just found out something fairly interesting.

Before the cheery attitude could continue however…

"Tatsuya-kun! Good morning~"

…they were greeted by the sight of Mayumi reenacting a scene straight out of a drama as she called out to Tatsuya from the school-gate. Her face was flushed with happiness, her body slightly bent forward, and one arm softly waved in his direction. Ever since they've met, Tatsuya was aware of the impenetrable mask Mayumi wore in public, and often had difficulty discerning her true intentions whenever she donned that very mask. This time however, her intentions were painfully obvious to him. Rather than allowing him to enjoy the peaceful high-school life he desired, she drew pleasure from the act of teasing more than anyone else.

"Mayumi please don't-"

Before Tatsuya realized his careless mistake, it was already too late.

"Oho, first name basis already, I see~"

"Does that mean she is the 'secret girlfriend' Kitayama-san mentioned earlier?"

"And she is the president too … I am impressed Tatsuya. I can understand why your relationship is a secret now."

"No. You guys misunderstand. Shizuku was just joking around from the beginning. Me and the president aren't dating. It was a lie. A joke."

"What is a joke?", Mayumi had crossed the distance between them unnoticed.

"Oh, let's hear it from the president herself then. We were just wondering about whether or not the two of you were dating."

Erika completely threw her manners out of the window, deeming it a necessary sacrifice to fuel the hilarity that had begun to unfold once again. She probably figured that since Tatsuya and her seemed to be on close terms, she herself didn't need to behave in a formal manner either.

"Calling our relationship a joke? How mean of you…"

Rather than take notice of Erika's lack of a proper greeting, Mayumi seemed to thank her for the unexpected aid and played along.

"…"

All eyes were on Tatsuya. Even Shizuku and Honoka, who had been with him longer than anyone in that group, regarded his every move with growing curiosity. He knew that a wrong response would set an irreversible chain reaction into motion, one that he would never be able to recover from. He doubted his friends would spread a petty rumor about his relationship with Mayumi, so he didn't worry too much about the treatment he would get from his other classmates, but he was concerned about the ensuing chaos within his circle of friends. While agreeing to the notion of him dating Mayumi was obviously out of the question, reacting too negatively would only make things worse.

In the end, Tatsuya decided to ignore the previous conversation altogether and change the topic.

"President, what brings you here?"

"Ah, right."

Though her hesitant movement belied the unwillingness of defeat, she realized that her presidential duty came before her personal enjoyment. Similarly, his friends weren't particularly eager to interrupt Student Council business, so they reluctantly accepted the lost chance. Approaching Miyuki, Mayumi offered a polite greeting that was likewise returned.

"I know we talked about this yesterday already, but I wanted to officially invite you to the Student Council as a secretary. Rather, it will become official once you meet with the other members, so I was wondering if you could join us for lunch to work out the finer details."

"I would be glad to. Thank your for the invitation", Miyuki replied, once more bowing in a cordial fashion.

"Tatsuya, could you join us as well?"

The exchange between Mayumi and Miyuki was a mere formality so nobody payed particular attention to them, but with Tatsuya's mention, the entire group released a collective gasp of surprise.

"Certainly", Tatsuya fell back on the response he had prepared beforehand.

"Wait a minute. Why is Tatsuya invited as well? In the first place, do you two know each other?", Erika carelessly inquired without a second thought.

Mayumi glanced at Tatsuya, to which he responded to a nod. Of course they had prepared all this beforehand, so the subliminal body language was just an act to fool their audience. Tatsuya had to admit, she performed phenomenally.

"It's not strictly confidential information, but I plan to invite Tatsuya to the Public Morals Committee. The Student Council has yet to appoint an officer and I believe Tatsuya would perform splendidly. Regarding our relationship… we have met in the past, but I can't tell you any more than that."

The hand she naturally placed on her cheek accented her flushed cheeks, a feat Tatsuya was unable to explain. Was she truly embarrassed, or simply a naturally born actress? That woman confused him to no end.

Regardless of that, her acting should have been enough to keep his friends from delving any further into the subject. It was Mayumi's suggestion for Tatsuya to join the Public Morals Committee as that would allow him to wear a CAD regardless of school hours. Granting him access to the Student Council was another benefit. For the two of them to respond in the event of an attack, Tatsuya required a certain degree of freedom, freedom granted to him by the privileges of the Public Morals Committee. However, unless they provided some sort of explanation toward Mayumi's recommendation of a mere Second Course Student, they decided that it was essential for Mayumi, in the eyes of the public, to have met Tatsuya in the past. If she was aware of the scope of his abilities it would also make sense for her as the president to elect him as a Committee member. For this plan to work, Tatsuya was willing to reveal his proficiency of "Gram Demolition", an ability unrelated to magic skill that could qualify him for the appointed position despite his status as a Second Course Student.

Thus, the Shiba siblings joined the Public Morals Committee and the Student Council after joining the other officers for lunch.

Lunch period was short, and their seniors were only able to inform them of their duties after formally welcoming them to their new roles. The Public Morals Committee Chief, a woman by the name of Watanabe Mari, seemed especially pleased that a Second Course Student like Tatsuya would be joining her faction. One officer seemed to be missing however. Hattori Hanzou wasn't able to make it so Tatsuya would be meeting him the following day. Mayumi described him to be rather stern on the outside but kind hearted and soft at his core, though his overbearing sense of responsibility was second to none. From what Tatsuya heard he guessed that the two of them might be able to get along rather well, and looked forward to meeting him.

As him and Miyuki walked through the empty hallways to return to their classrooms, Miyuki took advantage of the opportunity.

"… Tatsuya?"

He knew that talking to her about the Yotsuba was inevitable, so Tatsuya halted his step and cautiously faced her.

"I'll get straight to the point. Why haven't you killed me yet?"

A minuscule amount of psions leaked from the gaps of her self-control. She was ready. Even though she knew that she had no chance, she was ready to react to an attack at a moments notice.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I am not too eager to end my life so easily. I may have not been in many battles yet, but I know that you are certainly capably of killing me at any given moment. I have felt your magic more than enough to know that."

She was a princess. A doll. An existence carefully cultivated by the Yotsuba, but maybe she wasn't as sheltered as he had previously assumed her to be. Tatsuya didn't know why, but that realization filled him with relief.

"Then I should apologize for not telling you sooner."

Relaxing his stance, Tatsuya eased the tension between them.

"I promised Maya to never harm you. I am terribly sorry if you have been worried about this since yesterday."

"You… really? Why?"

"It was a compromise to guarantee the safety of some of my own assets, but mainly because you have nothing to do with this. My enemy is Yotsuba Maya, not Shiba Miyuki."

Tatsuya lowered his eyelids as he recalled another name.

"And neither is Shiba Miya…"

"Mother? How do you know?"

"I am acquainted with someone skilled at gathering information. Still, I don't know the details. I'm guessing that you are unaware of them as well?"

"I… I've grown up as a single child. I heard rumors … but no. I don't know anything regarding your birth. I'm sorry."

Tatsuya smiled. A painful smile. An outlet for the disappointment of yet another crushed hope.

"No, it's only reasonable for them to have kept it from you. Then is it true? Is she dead?"

"… yes. She was fine before, but after the main family used her Mental-Interference Magic for a project of theirs her body grew sickly, and she died soon after."

"Mental-Interference Magic?"

"Mental Design Interference. As the name implies it had the ability to directly alter the mind. She didn't merely affect the mind like most Outer-Systematic Magics, but she had unreserved access to it. Her magic… it is because of the traces of her magic that I recognized you."

"I guess mother was every bit as special as I imagined her to be… No, I'm sorry for bringing her up. It must hard to talk about her."

"No."

Her tone sounded different now. Her voice clearer, and more vibrant. Tatsuya raised his gaze and was greeted by beauty. Not the superficial appearance of her face, but the splendor of raw emotion vibrantly expressed in her moistened eyes.

"I'm happy I can talk to you about these thing."

Was this what it was like to have a sister? Tatsuya judged it foreign to the touch, but warm nonetheless.

"We might not have had the best start though."

The laughter he elicited caused a single glimmer of a tear to fall.

Not even a few hours ago they were after each other's life, but now that Miyuki had been removed from the equation, it seemed that their relationship had taken an unexpected shape. She was definitely crazy. To completely lower her guard before the man who had nearly killed her but a day ago … the lack of common sense she possessed was shocking. However, Tatsuya was just as crazy due to encouraging her behavior.

Was this the self-correcting power of the World at work?

Tatsuya didn't know, nor did her care. He was simply glad to have found and unexpected ally.

* * *

School was over.

A steady stream of students left the school and headed towards the station, some of them getting sidetracked by the many shops that were strategically placed along the way. Two students in particular split off from the masses, heading towards and abandoned park instead. It was exceptionally large compared to others of it's kind, yet completely devoid of people.

Neither Tatsuya nor Mayumi took measures to empty the park of civilians. It was in the best interest of their assailants not to be seen in the first place, so they simply delegated all the preparations to them. Tatsuya and Mayumi had the decency to select an appropriate location at least.

"I'm … surprised", Tatsuya didn't strike up an conversation to pass the time, but because he was genuinely taken aback.

"About what?"

"I realize that this isn't of particular importance … but I didn't expect you to own a duffel bag."

"Is it that weird?"

The previous day Tatsuya had reminded Mayumi of the possibility of an attack, encouraging her to take appropriate measures. At the time he had referred to the addition of more combat oriented Activation Sequences to her CAD, but contrary to his expectations, Mayumi retrieved a heavy looking duffel bag from the Student Council Room before meeting him at the school gate. The act of bringing a bag aside, he was more surprised by the type of bag. He had taken Mayumi for the type of girl who would wear a more fashionable accessory, but she had instead chosen the option that granted her the most practicality.

"I wouldn't say weird… anyway it was a stupid thing for me to worry about. Are you sure you don't want me to carry the bag for you?"

"Ah, don't worry about it. I'm using gravitational magic to lessen the burden."

"Isn't the mere fact that you are using magic reason enough for me to carry it for you?"

"I can carry my own weapons myself. I am your senpai after all, so I need to act appropriately."

"Is that what you were worried about?"

"… in any case, did you prepare anything? You don't seem to be wearing anything other than your CADs."

"They're just a prototypes, but I have these."

Reaching into his breast pocket, Tatsuya retrieved a handful of data chips. They looked like memory cards for computers, but Mayumi wasn't well versed in technology enough to appropriately place them.

"Prototypes?"

"From the military. I developed them myself, but I haven't tested them in the field yet."

"… having too many talents can be a bad thing, you know that?"

Tatsuya refrained from replying with a sarcastic remark of his own. Taking advantage of Mayumi's jealousy would have been just too easy after all. Instead, he addressed the growing concern on both of their minds.

"Still, to think that they actually showed up."

"And to follow us all the way from school no less", Mayumi sighed.

The reason why they purposefully isolated themselves in a remote area was to draw out their pursuers. Tatsuya and Mayumi had instantly spotted them due to their Elemental Sight and Multi-Scope the moment they left the school's gates. Unwilling to risk another public incident like the one the day before, they decided to face them rather than to elude them. By selecting a remote area to be their battlefield they could also minimize civilian casualties and fight to their heart's content.

"Three of them… I wish we could have at least brought Mari with us."

"Watanabe-san? Let alone involving her in this mess, I still regret getting you involved in the first place."

Mayumi pursed her lips as she shot Tatsuya an annoyed look.

"If I didn't help you, you would be all alone. I'm actually glad Shizuku-chan and Honoka-chan found me when they did."

"Even though you would be risking your life?"

"Because you are risking yours!"

Tatsuya halted. Mayumi was still in the middle of her scolding posture when she realized Tatsuya's abrupt movement.

"That's your reason?"

"Do I need a better one?"

Tatsuya slackened his posture as he capitulated to the woman before him. It didn't seem like he would be able to understand her anytime soon. However, he shelved his response for a later time as he noticed the approaching presences.

"So you were the ones who have been following us?"

Three magicians stepped into their sight, two of them unknown, and the other the familiar Mist Adhesion user. The hood was ever-present, and Tatsuya seriously started to doubt his taste in clothing. Not only did it look absurd, but it had little to no practicality in battle.

"My name is Yaegashi, and she's Himeko. You saved us a lot of trouble choosing this place."

"You are surprisingly straightforward."

"The Yotsuba are our benefactors, but that does not mean we share their goals. More importantly…", Himeko winked at Mayumi as she spoke, "…it would be worthless for me if I didn't fight you in a fair battle."

"Eh? You want to fight me?"

"As we said, Shiba-san is our target, but my lady is interested in Saegusa-san especially."

Tatsuya exchanged a short glance with Mayumi. Much like with Erika, Tatsuya found no trace of bloodlust in his opponent's voice. Was that truly their nature, or did they simply put up an act? Not that it mattered. Mayumi readied her CAD after setting down her bag while Tatsuya unholstered his Trident.

Likewise, the man called Yaegashi opened a suitcase he carried with him and carelessly tossed it into the air, revealing neatly arranged rows of rectangular metal blocks slightly larger than an average data terminal. Tatsuya glanced at Yaegashi's fists, now equipped with brass knuckle shaped CADs made out of the same material as the suitcase's contents.

 _"Neodymium?"_

A sudden gust of wind tore the suitcase apart and scattered the 10cm thick blocks all around the area, a phenomena undoubtedly caused by the black haired woman in front of them. The CAD she wore on her wrist glowed in the light of her psions.

"You are an Element, aren't you."

"A descendant of them, yes. I am surprised you noticed."

"It was only a hunch. Besides, a close friend of mine is an Element as well, though her attribute is 'light' as opposed to your 'air'."

With that, pleasantries were over.

Mayumi's fingers danced across her bracelet shaped CAD as the very air around Himeko distorted.

Yaegashi disappeared from sight and Tatsuya met his charge.

Whilst the earth churned and the psions danced, the hooded figure shackled the power of "Shiva".


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note**

Oh my … the outline for this story just crossed the 25,000 word mark … I should really learn to simplify my notes T.T

* * *

Mayumi dropped her sizable duffel bag and channeled her Psions the instant her fingers reached her Generalized Bracelet-Shaped CAD, Multi-Casting a large-scale Convergence-Type Magic along with several Single-Systematic Movement-Type Magics to invoke her favored method of attack: Magic Shooter. It's fantasy-like name belied it's deadly lethality, and without a moments delay a continuous downpour of solidified carbon dioxide particles were shot at Mayumi's opponent in the form of dry ice pellets.

The ammunition itself was not what gave this magic it's notoriety however, and neither was it's quantity. From all directions, within and outside her field of vision, Himeko was assaulted by a barrage of subsonic ice shards that threatened to tear through her flesh.

The air quivered.

The formation of ice, the disposition of oxygen and nitrogen as carbon dioxide particles clustered together … all of it was clearly perceived through Himeko's senses.

Congruently to Mayumi's magic, Himeko prepared her own attack.  
Dry ice darted forwards at the speed of sound and met with … air?

As if prearranged, each pellet of frozen carbon dioxide shattered as one, scattering their fractal shards into the wind. It was only then that the invisible movement of air was visible. Passing through the evaporating remains of Mayumi's failed attack, artificial currents of air slithered straight towards their intended target, thirsting for more than frozen ammunition. Himeko's magic was invisible, but it was magic regardless.

Relying on her subconscious awareness of the Information Dimension to track the trail of Psions attached to the currents of wind, Mayumi faithfully guessed the coordinates of their location and activated a counter magic in response. If ice yielded no results, then she would challenge her opponent in her own field.

Once again activating magic of the Convergence Type, Mayumi compressed the very air around her into a multitude of highly pressurized tube-shaped containers, forcefully releasing the compressed air directly at Himeko's yet unknown method of attack.

Air clashed against air, a strange phenomena reminiscent of brute force striking a sharpened blade, as both magics crumbled into nonexistence due to simultaneously wiping each other out.

Though a favorable result, Mayumi's charming features distorted into an unpleasant frown.

In terms of raw power alone, her "Bias Release" should have held the upper hand. Additionally, Himeko's magic should have already been weakened after clashing against her "Magic Shooter", but Mayumi was still only barely able to stop it. Was this what it meant to be an Element?

Mayumi forced her thoughts aside and once again directed Psions into her delicate CAD. Himeko's wind-based magic was superior to Mayumi's own. That was a fact. However, even though Mayumi's "Bias Release" would likely be overwhelmed if it were to clash against Himeko's magic, the explosive gust of wind that resulted of it's obliteration would surely still persist even after it's collapse. After all, that phenomena would be a physical consequence of the magic, and not an alteration of reality caused by the magic itself. In other words, even if Mayumi's magic was overcome, the gust of wind that was a natural side effect of releasing highly pressurized air would still persist in this world. If Mayumi managed to detonate such a blast in Himeko's close vicinity, she would be able to capitalize on that opening with a quick bombardment of dry ice pellets. Even in the unlikely scenario that Himeko managed to dodge all of that, Mayumi still had her trump card prepared.

Selecting the Activation Sequence for "Bias Release" once more, Mayumi visually located six appropriate locations for the deployment of her magic and input these variables into the deploying Magic Sequence in her mind. Three pressurized air blasts would assault Himeko head on, while one was deployed right below her left foot, with the remaining two aimed at her unprotected back.

The Magic Sequence expanded.

The Psion Information Body traveled through the Information Dimension to locate the corresponding Eidos.

Six individual phenomena appeared in the physical world as a result of the information corresponding to their Eidos being altered.

However.

Instead of surrounding Himeko, the pressurized air cannons appeared around Mayumi's body instead.

"… eh?"

There was no time even for her brain to signal her muscles to act.

While it was theoretically possible to cancel a deploying Magic Sequence, once it left the magician's Magic Calculation Area it became it's separate psionic entity. In other words, it was beyond Mayumi's control. Taking six of her purposefully empowered air blasts head on was suicide. Even without taking Mayumi's petite stature into account, it would be impossible for anyone to survive such an attack. Mayumi tightly shut her eyes to prepare for the inevitability of her body being broken into pieces.

Yet.

She was swallowed by a tidal wave.

A tempest of violently raging psions engulfed everything around her, viciously shredding any and all Psion Information Bodies into a gruesome whirlwind of meaningless chaos.

Before Mayumi realized that her body was falling, she was gently caught by Tatsuya's muscular arm and returned to an upright position. Fear, surprise, and relief. Unable to decide which emotion to express, Mayumi blankly stared at Tatsuya's steady gaze in an effort to piece together what had happened. Surprisingly enough, she addressed something else entirely when she finally did manage to to open her mouth.

"T-tatsuya, what happened to your face?!"

Broken nose, a fractured cheekbone, and enough blood to hide these extremities from the untrained eye. Such were the extent of his injuries … until he erased them with Restoration.

"The result of losing focus in battle, don't worry about it", curtly responding to Mayumi's selfless inquiry, Tatsuya shifted his sight back onto his opponents.

Himeko's magic…  
An invisible force that should be rightfully feared. Though it could be sensed by modern magicians due to the psionic residue, the uncertainty that came from an intangible threat was bound to affect one eventually. But Tatsuya saw through it all.

First and foremost, Himeko was a descendant of the Elements. The Elements were the first group of magic technicians to be publicly recognized as the first magicians representative of Japan, and were thus practitioners that were yet unaware of the systematic classifications that would later shape the international understanding of Modern Magic. Of course, saying that the Elements were the first practitioners of magic was absolutely false, but since Ancient Magicians had yet to be recognized before the Third World War, Ancient Magic was later denoted into it's own separate category.

In other words, the Elements existed in an Era before the division of Modern and Ancient Magic existed, and were instead divided by traditional cultural attributes; mainly Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Light, and Thunder. This meant that any magic attributed to an Element; whether it was Systematic, Traditional, or Spirit Magic; would be a magic an Element of that attribute was likely to use. Himeko carried on that tradition.

She had used Convergence-Type Magic to concentrate air particles into the shape of a blade, and had granted it sharpness and stability through the use of an Ancient Magic by the name of "Kamaitachi". Kamaitachi by itself was already a lethal magic capable of damaging synthetically enhanced military fiber, but it's invocation required a preparation period too long to render it useful in a frontal confrontation. Himeko bypassed this issue by mimicking Kamaitachi's shape through the use of Systematic Magic, and merely applied a fragment of the original Ancient Magic's Activation Sequence to complete the magic. Ingenuity of that level rivaled the research of the 9th Institute, and her personalized "Kamaitachi v.02 " was certainly an offensive magic that dutifully represented the "essence" of what it meant to be an Element of Air.

However, as outstanding as Himeko's Kamaitachi v.02 was, it was that very brilliance that distracted her enemies from the true menace.

Faintly humming in the back of his mind, Tatsuya had to sharpen his senses to track down the continuously deploying Magic Sequence in the background. It was Outer-Systematic Magic without a doubt, but by far simpler and easier to comprehend than the nightmarish tundra that Miyuki wielded. Additionally, Himeko was using a Magic Sequence to deploy her Outer-Systematic Magic, greatly simplifying the process of analyzing it's structure as opposed to Miyuki's case in which she simply willed her magic into existence through sheer thought.

The term "Range Reduction" would fit this magic perfectly.

Magic by itself did not have limitations to range. In the first place, since the psion signals emitted by the magician traveled through the Information Dimension (a realm devoid of humanity's perception of space), it was theoretically possible to cast magic on Saturn if one so wished to. However, the Magic Calculation Area resided in the subconscious mind. As such magicians were limited by their own subconscious spacial awareness, causing magicians to have difficulty casting magic that was outside their comfortable range. It was because of that reason that the mental state and mood played an essential role in a magicians ability.

In any case, magicians were limited by their subconscious perception of distance, and Himeko's Outer-Systematic "Range Reduction", targeted precisely that. Reducing one's subconscious spacial awareness by half, magic that was aimed ten meters away would instead hit a location five meters away. Further reducing that distance to near zero, any long-ranged magic targeted at the enemy would instead endanger the caster himself. That was the true magnitude of Himeko's ability. Combining her exceptional long-ranged capabilities with an Outer-Systematic Magic able to shut down any form of retaliation, Himeko was truly the natural enemy of long-ranged magicians in every meaning of the word.

Obviously, "Range Reduction" was not omnipotent however. While it was especially effective against magics that targeted "locations", such as Mayumi's "Magic Shooter", and the Chiyoda family's "Mine Genesis", it was less effective against magics that targeted "targets". Taking the Ichijou for example, even though their iconic "Rupture" would also be affected by the reduced perception of distance, their magic would simply fizzle and fail as opposed to blowing up the user himself, seeing as the target's location would not correspond to the actual location of the deployed magic. It was because of this reason that Mayumi's "Bias Release", a magic that targeted the air instead of a stationary target, could still be activated even after it's location was shifted from Himeko's vicinity to Mayumi's surroundings.

Fortunately Tatsuya had caught the deployment of Himeko's Outer-Systematic Magic just in time. Eating two of Yaegashi's punches at the cost of diverting his attention to violently rip apart Mayumi's own magic, he had luckily prevented injury on her side. However…

 _"_ _Why didn't he stop me…?"_ , Tatsuya briefly flicked his eyes towards the hooded silhouette in the distance.

"Tatsuya", Mayumi stopped Tatsuya's train of thought by motioning towards the two opponents who had apparently grown impatient, "I get the gist of her magic, so don't worry about me."

Raising an eyebrow, Tatsuya regarded the delicate woman like one would doubt a child. She had only barely escaped the jaws of death due to Tatsuya's intervention, and their opponents were obviously handpicked to counter their every move.

Still, Mayumi was a Saegusa.

Doubting her would only trample her pride, pride amassed by the countless battles she must have faced despite her tender age. Tatsuya held back a sigh as he turned his back to her; entrusting it to her.

"Cast your magic close to yourself. She can restrict the range of your magic, but physical objects are free of her influence. Take care of her 'Kamaitachi'"

Condensing the information he learned into three short sentences, Tatsuya left but a cloud of dust behind as he charged straight into his bout against Yaegashi.

Grateful for whatever time he could spare, Mayumi expanded a sphere of Zone Interference as she created a tightly packed wall of ice crystals behind her back. Her magic could not be casted anywhere but within her immediate surroundings, however, as long as she created her magic inside these bounds, the physical effect of dry ice particles moving at supersonic speed would still continue to persist even after leaving her vicinity. True, families like the Chiyoda who heavily relied on their prided magic would be completely helpless in the face of Himeko's "Range Reduction", but Mayumi's versatile array of long-ranged attack options left her with plenty of other magics to fall back on.

As wind and ice clashed, the battle of long-ranged supremacy raged on.

Mayumi was clearly at a disadvantage. Even though her Magic Shooter was still able to reach Himeko, the advantage that came from shooting dry ice pellets from her targets' blind spots was now gone. However, as much as Tatsuya wanted to come to Mayumi's aid, he had his hands full dealing with his own opponent.

The metallic brass knuckles Yaegashi wore were Specialized CADs, each endowed with it's own system of magic. Yet, despite the fact that his specific magic would allow him to safely attack from range, it seemed he preferred a more direct approach.

Never further than a step away, Yaegashi aimed two blows at Tatsuya's face with his left while keeping his right arm raised in front of his body. Catching the fist was not an option, as Tatsuya's palms would easily be shattered by the custom made neodymium alloy the brass knuckles were made of. Instead, he restricted himself to dodging the blows by striking at the pressure points of Yaegashi's wrist, diverting his attacks just enough to dodge the brass knuckles by a hair's breadth.

As Yaegashi's punch once again passed through the air beside his opponent's face, he raised his clenched index finger to interact with a customized interface built into the inner surface of the brass knuckle to invoke the magic within his left CAD: Magnetism.

While not the most magnetic element in it's purest form, neodymium alloys were the most popular choice for industrial magnets even to this age due to their powerful and mostly permanent magnetic attributes. As such, manipulating them with simple Magnetism-Type Magic was beyond simple.

One of the randomly scattered neodymium plates on the battlefield momentarily quivered before rapidly darting towards the direction of Yaegashi's left fist, gaining more speed and velocity the closer it got. It's near exponential growth of momentum was not Yaegashi's doing, but rather a natural property of the magnets themselves. Magnets attracted each other naturally. It was in their nature to join themselves as closely as they possibly could, however, due to the magnet's range as well as friction and outside interference, a magnet would lose it's magnetic pull the further it distanced itself from another. Consequently, magnetic attraction would grow once they moved closer. If the force of attraction was 10kg at 10cm, that very force would essentially double with each halving distance to it's partnering magnet. Therefore there was no need for Yaegashi to expend extraneous effort to create a strong magnetic field, as the shrinking distance between the magnets would create a crushing force on their own. Let alone crush Tatsuya's unarmored body, if Yaegashi so wished it he would probably be able to puncture steel.

Loop Casting a series of Non-Systematic Psionic Oscillation Waves to re-create a sensation akin to "sea-sickness", Tatsuya threw off his opponent's aim long enough to Flash Cast Movement-Type Magic and escape the crushing pincer attack.

The neodymium plate missed it's target by a centimeter as it forcefully rammed into Yaegashi's left fist with an earsplitting clang. Were it not for the activation of magic from the Specialized CAD he wore in his right, his left arm would have been shattered beyond recognition.

Inertia-Cancellation and Acceleration-Type Magic.  
Those were the magics installed in Yaegashi's second CAD. Specialized CADs boasted superior invocation speed and innovative designs when compared to their Generalized counterparts, but as a consequence they were only able to store magic from a single system of magic. Inertia control and acceleration both belonged to the system of Speed-Type Magic, and were thus able to coexist within a single Specialized CAD. Yaegashi was aware of this limitation, but was likewise able to stretch the magics available to him to their limit.

By reducing his body's inertia to it's absolute minimum, the incoming neodymium plate knocked him off his feet without much resistance at all, catapulting him away like an incoming train would to a tennis ball. However, while still in midair, Yaegashi extended his left fist towards Tatsuya, aiming at the scattered neodymium plates behind him, and pulled himself towards them. Much like a slingshot his body performed an unnatural arc as it used the gathered momentum, now enhanced by the invocation of Acceleration-Type Magic, to fully redirect the entirety of it's force towards Tatsuya's body.

Despite having managed to finally gain some distance on him, Yaegashi caught up to Tatsuya in a flash. Dodging was out of the question at this point.

Normally Tatsuya would have sent Yaegashi flying by erasing his magic with Gram Dispersion or even Gram Demolition, but doing so now would only waste precious time due to the presence of the Mist Adhesion user shamelessly hiding in the backline. With no other means to escape, Tatsuya readied himself for an attack.

Psions flowed into his muscles and magic powered his step. Pushing off the ground at full force, Tatsuya used his entire strength to leap straight into Yaegashi's approaching figure, accurately aligning his bent right knee with the trajectory of his opponent's brass-knuckled fist. Moments before impact, Tatsuya Flash Casted Fortification-Type Magic to reinforce and lock his body's coordinates into place, and one of Yanagi's Contact-Type Oscillation Magics specifically onto his right knee.

A single instant passed.  
An unstoppable force clashed against an immovable object.

The Contact-Type Oscillation Magic activated as soon as it met with Yaegashi's fist, creating violent vibrations targeted at Yaegashi's skeletal structure as the shockwave travelled down the arm all the way down to his shoulder.

 _"_ _Two … no three"_ , Tatsuya noted three separate fractures to Yaegashi's humerus and ulna, as well as several burst blood vessels.

Still, Tatsuya's frown remained unchanged. He was unable to replicate the desired effect of shattering the entire arm altogether, much like Yanagi had done to him in one of their past training sessions, and none of the inflicted injuries were damaging enough to significantly affect Yaegashi's combat ability.

 _"_ _The difference between an imitation and the real deal, huh?"_

Even though Tatsuya's Flash Cast boasted unrivaled speed, such a triviality didn't matter when one required brute force. Tatsuya never much cared for the restrictions of his Flash Cast due to being able to make up for the disadvantages with the destructive power of his Mist Dispersion. It was only when placed in a scenario where he was only allowed access to his "fake" magic that he seemed to feel envy for those who could freely wield such a gift.

Regardless of the arsenal of magic he had copied over the years, in the end these were just replications.

Tatsuya's Reinforcement-Magic shattered abruptly after being struck by Yaegashi's force, subsequently flinging Tatsuya's body merciless into the rocky ground. Yaegashi himself briefly stumbled in an effort to halt his movements as an onslaught of pain momentarily overwhelmed his senses.

Yaegashi clumsily fell to his knees while Tatsuya's body was covered by a trail of dust that marked his fall.

That injury was … unexpected.

Let alone retaliate in that situation, Tatsuya actually managed to inflict a serious wound. Surely, as long as Yaegashi restricted himself from using his left arm the injury wouldn't affect him too majorly, but nevertheless it prevented him from using his dominant hand.

Shiba Tatsuya. Despite his innate abilities locked away and being forced to rely on inferior magic, his martial skill remained undiminished. To any outsider it would seem that Tatsuya was losing. Yaegashi was steadily pushing him back, rarely granting his opponent the opportunity to attack and forcing him onto the defensive. However… in the single opportunity in which Tatsuya had the chance to counterattack he had managed to fracture Yaegashi's arm in 3 separate locations and cause profuse internal hemorrhage.

A cold shiver traveled through Yaegashi's spine.

If Tatsuya had the opportunity to use his magic… nay, if he had the opportunity to get his hands on any weapon at all, what effect would that have on Yaegashi's advantage? His life? Even though he himself was fully armed, he had been unable to land a single blow on Tatsuya so far. The attack just now was questionable at best since he himself got injured in the process.

Yaegashi didn't want to grant him the chance to use any other tricks he may have stored up. He had to end it now.

The dust cleared, and at it's center, Tatsuya stood in an upright posture, unharmed and unsoiled. As if the earlier exchange never even happened, Tatsuya simply stood there. Waiting. Watching. Analyzing.

He truly was a frightening man.

With the touch of a button, Yaegashi darted forward once again by using a complex combination of Magnetism, Inertia-Cancellation, and Acceleration to erratically dart though the battlefield at an unpredictable pace. The neodymium plates were scattered evenly throughout the area thanks to Himeko, which meant that Yaegashi could freely pick and choose which magnet to use as an anchor to propel himself. The entire area was his playground. His moments would remain swift and unhindered so long as the neodymium plates carpeted the ground. Darting back and forth, then forth and back again, Yaegashi pushed his spacial awareness to it's limits to charge at Tatsuya at the highest possible speed and to capitalize on his most vulnerable blind spots.

Even the most expert fighters would have difficulties tracking the silhouette that remained of Yaegashi's blurred outline.

However.

Each and every attack was masterfully dodged.

Hair and cloth was torn instead of flesh and bone, and even then, Tatsuya's uniform would restore itself once it become too damaged. Additionally, though humanly impossible, Tatsuya managed to encroach ever closer on Yaegashi's injured arm with each of his attacks to the point where his fractured Ulna was now close to snapping altogether. Speed, accuracy, and strength. Was there anything the man named Tatsuya did not possess?!

The throbbing in his arm grew more intense with every passing second, his famished lungs more painful with each breath, and his Magic Calculation Area more heated with each invocation. Soon. He had to patiently wait for the perfect opportunity. Soon. Just a single moment of carelessness.

Yaegashi darted behind Tatsuya's back once more, his high-aimed uppercut hitting nothing but the sweat of Tatsuya's forehead.

Tatsuya took one step into the wrong direction.

 _"_ _Got you!"_

Before Tatsuya could correct his footing it was already too late.

The neodymium plate that was slightly buried into the ground responded to the psionic oscillations of Yaegashi's left CAD and lifted itself high into the air at neck-breaking speed, taking Tatsuya's misplaced foot with it. The violence of the neodymium plate's movement took not only his foot, but before Tatsuya realized, his entire body was lifted up and become airborne. With no footholds to support himself while the world was spinning around him, he had momentarily become vulnerable to a direct attack.

It was a perfect opening, a perfect window to exploit. Yaegashi had but to press a button on his CAD to crush Tatsuya's body in between the mighty force of neodymium alloy based magnets.

However, Tatsuya would simply regenerate after the damage had been dealt. Yaegashi was aware of that.

Yaegashi pushed of the ground and activated his CAD, not charging towards Tatsuya, but distancing himself from him as fast as possible.

On-point attacks were proven to be useless against Tatsuya.  
However, what would happen if his entire body were to be obliterated all at once in a single instant?

 _"…_ _damn it!"_ , Tatsuya read the deploying Activation Sequence the instant it left the CAD; it's owner not Yaegashi, but Himeko.

If her earlier magics could be called "Wind Blades", then this magic should appropriately be dubbed "Vacuum Bomb". Using Tatsuya's helplessly airborne body as it's origin, this magic forcefully pushed any gaseous particles within a two meter radius outwards, creating a Vacuum orb with a total diameter of four meters. If the Vacuum itself did not tear Tatsuya's body apart, he would be annihilated by the ensuing implosion that occurred once the magic was canceled, allowing the surrounding air to violently rush back in and crush him like an empty can. The Interference Strength such a magic required was beyond Tatsuya's imagination, and the fact that Himeko was able to create a Vacuum orb of this size in such a short period of time was breathtaking.

Truly.

The Elements were magicians to be feared.

The magic deployed, and Tatsuya could slowly feel the air of his lungs being sucked out of his throat. Flash Casting would be futile, seeing as Himeko's outstanding Interference Strength would instantly shut down any of his "weak" magics, meaning that Movement-Type Magic was out of the question. Gram Dispersion was also unavailable due to the presence of a certain Yotsuba magician. Flash Cast, Gram Dispersion, and Mist Dispersion were therefore unusable.

 _"_ _In that case…"_

Tatsuya still had his final lifeline. The ultimate defense.

Regrowth.

Tatsuya's Restoration Magic was rather simple actually. All one had to do was analyze and copy the Eidos of a certain object and reflect it back at it, restoring it to the state at which the Eidos were initially recorded. That was the principle behind Tatsuya's "healing" magic … but that certainly wasn't the only application of Restoration Magic. After all, who said that Eidos could not be reflected at a foreign body?

Diving into the world of the Idea, Tatsuya expanded his Elemental Sight to target one of the dozen Data Chips he hid in his breast pocket.

Reading the electronic signals stored within a specific Data Chip, Tatsuya instantly translated that data into the Structural Information of Eidos and plugged that variable into the Magic Sequence for Restoration Magic. The Magic Sequence deployed in less than a fraction of second and instantly targeted the Eidos associated with the Data Chip. The Data Chip quivered and fizzled, resisting the change at first, but essentially started to alter it's shape.

The Structural Information that Tatsuya forced onto the Data Chip was that of a fully armed hand grenade on the verge of detonation.

Tatsuya had previously analyzed the Structural Information of several military assets, weapons, etc. and translated that complex string of data into electronic signals to store within a Data Chip. In other words, any and all Data Chips in his breast pocket were currently military-grade weaponry waiting to be unleashed. If Tatsuya was unable to use magic with the Interference Strength necessary to move him outside the targeted radius of Himeko's magic, then he simply had to use physical means to blast himself out of it.

Despite knowing that it would do little to cushion the blast, Tatsuya raised his arms before his face and Flash Casted Inertia-Cancellation Magic on his body to maximize the effect of the hand grenade's detonation.

A single instant before the "Vacuum Bomb" completed it's process, a violent tremor shook the air as the grenade exploded with a deafening roar.

"Tatsuya!"

A charred figure flew out of the explosion's dust cloud and smashed into the ground right next to Mayumi, cratering it on impact. His chest was all but gone, his ribcage burnt and ashen, and most of his organs either shredded or missing altogether.

However.

In the very next instant Tatsuya flipped backwards into an upright combative stance as if his injuries were but an illusion. Wrapping his arm around Mayumi's waist, he wasted not a single second before jumping out of the shifting currents of air. An instant later, a two meter wide Vacuum bomb obliterated the earth upon which they stood.

Tatsuya freed Mayumi from his embrace only when the elemental assault ceased.

"Tatsuya, your are-"

"I'm fine", the obvious lie was made even more apparent by the heavy breaths that delivered it.

Using his sleeve to wipe off the dust and sweat that had accumulated on his forehead, Tatsuya eventually fell to the accusatory stare of the woman beside him.

"… I can heal physical injuries, but the pain lingers. I can erase physical fatigue, but I amplify mental exhaustion by doing so", Tatsuya admitted as he let his eyes run over Mayumi surprisingly uninjured body.

Tatsuya continued talking before Mayumi could respond … the complicated expression on her face betrayed her concern for his condition.

"Where is your bag?"

"… it was caught in the previous implosion."

Tatsuya allowed his gaze to wander over the changed battlefield and nodded in comprehension. It was almost unrecognizable. Other than the countless gashed and crevices that were undoubtedly caused by Himeko's variation of Kamaitachi, numerous perfectly spherical holes punctured the ground all over. Himeko's "Vacuum Bomb" seemed to even be capable of ripping apart concrete with ease.

It would be for the best if Mayumi and Tatsuya switched to the offensive.

As he pulled back the trigger of his Silver Trident, Mayumi's duffel back mysteriously returned to her shoulders.

"Don't worry about her Kamaitachi or 'Vacuum Bomb'. I will tear down the barriers in your way, so just focus on using the contents of that bag to their fullest."

Mayumi mischievously placed her fingers before her mouth.

"Oh my Tatsuya-kun, if you keep showing off like that I might fall for you~"

Tatsuya wasn't to sure whether to be conflicted by or appreciate her positive attitude. Ultimately he decided that payback was appropriate.

"Should you really be saying that? Izumi and Kasumi might not approve of me stealing you away from them."

"… shut up"

Judging by her flustered cheeks his counterattack seemed successful.

With lips slightly curved upwards, a detail that remained unnoticed by Mayumi, Tatsuya once again dashed towards Yaegashi's position. After all, letting a close-quarter specialist like him anywhere close to Mayumi would spell certain death for the Elven Sniper.

In contrast to him, she remained perfectly stationary however.

Mayumi swiftly reached into her bag and retrieved a handful of it's contents, tossing them into a symmetrical arc around her in what could be compared to a ceremonial dance. Such was the graceful elegance that accented her motions.

 _"_ _Black marbles?"_ , Himeko warily observed as she prepared her CAD for instant access.

Floating in the air, as if unaffected by gravity, Mayumi's black golfball-sized marbles simply hovered in place … until suddenly darting forward towards Himeko at the speed of a bullet.

Himeko clicked her tongue.

She would be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed. Even though her "Range Reduction" made it impossible for Mayumi to create magic outside her immediate vicinity, it was almost laughable that Mayumi's last resort would simply be to accelerate physical objects towards her direction. In that aspect, all she did was replace the function of a gun, which made these marbles no different from her dry ice pellets.

Sharpened wind swirled outwards from Himeko's body like a blooming lotus, intercepting and shattering any marbles without exception. All that Mayumi changed was her ammunition. There was nothing to fear.

Black dust was all that remained of the marbles.

However.

In the very instant that the cutting edge of Himeko's Kamaitachi passed through the marbles, they suddenly reverted back into their solid form, defying not only the bounds of reason, but the rules of space and time.

 _"_ _I see…"_

Himeko spared a single glance towards her partner who was currently engaged in fierce combat with their target. Tatsuya, a magician able to turn back time itself, had his silver CAD pointed at the restored black marbles.

The black marbles continued their descent unto Himeko's figure unhindered. Still, that was nothing but an inconvenience to her. Nothing more.

Inches before the marbles reached Himeko's skin, a violent gale of protective wind wrapped around her like a protective cocoon, shattering all projectiles once more without budging.

Weapons this brittle would never be enough to pierce her defenses.

…

 _"…_ _wait a minute… brittle?"_

Why would Mayumi use easily shattered projectiles when she was aware of her destructive power? Were they meant to be shattered in the first place?

The black marbles crumbled into dust and enveloped Himeko's cocoon like black mist.

Then.

Without warning.

Himeko was engulfed in a roaring explosion.


	9. Chapter 9 - Magic Handbook

**Summary**

This little Guidebook is a modified excerpt of my personal notes to help you guys keep track of the pre-existing magics of the old cast, as well as my original abilities that I have taken the liberty to add. This guide will be constantly updated with each chapter, so be sure to check up on it every now and then!  
It was actually a user by the name of "ilidio13" who encouraged me to do so, seeing as providing an index of Magic Abilities would make things a great deal easier for you guys. Kudos to him ^^  
Since this technically isn't a proper chapter, I will be relying on your feedback to decide how I should approach this. This Volume of the "Magic Handbook" is basically a list of all the characters and magics that have appeared in my story so far, with the exception of the minor cast and the Kuroba Twins since their abilities remained mostly unchanged. However. If you want to know about the magics of any other characters, please tell me so that I can add them to this list. Similarly, if I have summarized a magic too shortly, please inform me so that I can make my explanations more comprehensible. I mainly focused on making the descriptions as short as possible to make it easier for you guys to browse through them, so if I missed anything important or failed to explain something don't hesitate to scold me xD  
As I said, I am not too sure whether you guys like this "Magic Handbook" thing or not, but if you do, then I'd consider publishing another one that focuses on General Concerns surrounding the magic of the Mahouka Universe. This would include the exact process of Magic Invocation, why the Kuroba are able to share Outer-Systematic Magic with their subordinates, an explanation of the USNA's FAE-Technolgy, etc.

I actually have quite a lot of fun doing these, so tell me if you have any questions regarding magic that you'd like to have answered ^^

* * *

 **Shiba Tatsuya**

 **Abilities -** Systematic Magic - Non-Systematic Magic - Ancient Magic - Supernatural Power

Systematic Magic \- Flash Cast

Due to Tatsuya's lack of an Artificial Magic Calculation Area in this story, Tatsuya is utterly incapable of using any form of Systematic Magic, rendering him likewise unable to ever use Flying-Type Magic even if he were to develop it. He bypasses this limitation by taking advantage of a specialized version of Flash Cast. While similar to that of the main series, this Flash Cast does not invoke memorized Magic Sequences through his Artificial Magic Calculation Area, but instead utilizes his original Magic Calculation Area though the use of Regrowth. Tatsuya lacks the ability to use any magic other than his two innate Supernatural Powers, so he is only able to imitate magic by analyzing and memorizing the Magic Sequences of Simple-Systematic Magic and reflecting that Psion Information Body back onto the Eidos. It is important to note that Tatsuya is using Regrowth to accomplish this feat, as the operation depriving him of his (strong) emotions never occurred in this story. As such, Tatsuya is completely unable to alter or adjust his memorized Magic Sequences, and is only able to pick and choose from the arsenal he has amassed over the years. Fortunately, due to his military history, his number of memorized Magic Sequences has become rather versatile and expansive.

Non-Systematic Magic \- Gram Demolition - Oscillation-Type Magic

Due to Tatsuya's exceptionally large Psion count and expert control over said Psions, Tatsuya is able to compress them into cannonball-like structures and shoot them through the Physical Dimension to interfere with the deployment of Activation and Magic Sequences. While Gram Demolition is a rare skill able to perfectly counter magicians by rendering them unable to cast magic, the effectiveness of Gram Demolition is dependent of the skill of the user, as well as the number of Psions at his disposal. Simple Activation and Magic Sequences require little psionic force to be shattered, but more complex magics (more intricate Psion Information Body Structures) become increasingly more resistant to Gram Demolition. Therefore, while highly effective against simpler magics, Gram Demolition is less effective against highly complex magics like Niflheim and Muspelheim.

Tatsuya's Non-Systematic Magic isn't limited to only Gram Demolition and he has been shown to favor Non-Systematic Oscillation-Type Magic to take advantage of a magicians natural sensitivity of the Idea on several occasions. While debatably useful for throwing off an opponent's sense of orientation, it is a supportive magic at best.

Ancient Magic \- Ninjutsu

As a student of the infamous Yakumo himself Tatsuya learned a basic Ninjutsu skill that allows him to enhance his physical capabilities by directing Psions at his own body through the Physical Dimension. Neither an Activation Sequence nor a Magic Sequence is needed for this Ninjutsu skill, and Tatsuya can therefore wholly bypass the process of interacting with his body's Eidos through the Information Dimension by directly enhancing it with Psions through the Physical Dimension. Thanks to being mere Psions directed at his body this Ninjutsu technique is faster even than Flash Cast but is several limited in it's usage. Not only is it less effective than Modern Speed-Type Magic, it is also less versatile due to it's only function being to "enhance the body's capabilities". Regardless of that, Tatsuya favors this method over Systematic Magic due to this technique being essentially a Non-Systematic Magic Technique that doesn't require a Magic Calculation Area. As such, he can freely use this Ninjutsu technique without having to rely on Flash Cast.

Supernatural Power \- Mist/Gram Dispersion - Regrowth - Gradation Projection

Tatsuya's Disintegration Magic is not merely limited to Eidos alone, but is able to dissolve any Structural Design. Whether it's Psions or Eidos, anything that is based off of an Intelligible Design can be taken apart into it's basic components. It is due to this wide scope that Tatsuya's Disintegration Magic is categorized into to separate classifications: Mist Dispersion, Disintegration Magic targeted at Eidos; and Gram Dispersion, Disintegration Magic targeted at Psion Information Bodies. Unlike Gram Demolition, neither Mist nor Gram Dispersion travel through the Physical Dimension, and are thus not limited by distance as long as Tatsuya is able to identify and analyze his target's Structural Information. By extension, Material Burst is a more delicate application of Mist Dispersion as it allows him to break down matter into pure energy.

Tatsuya's second innate Supernatural Power is a magic labelled Regrowth, which has the ability to restore any Information Body to a previous state. Much like Mist/Gram Dispersion, Regrowth is also able to affect Psions and Eidos alike, granting Tatsuya the ability to restore Activation and Magic Sequences as well as Physical Objects. While primarily used to heal injuries, this Tatsuya heavily depends on Regrowth to imitate Magic Sequences he has previously analyzed and copied.  
The exact process of Restoration Magic is the following:  
1\. Analyze an Information Body or Structural Information (Psions or Eidos)  
2\. Copy analyzed Data  
3\. Insert Data into Magic Sequence  
4\. Direct Magic Sequence at targeted Eidos

Gradation Projection is essentially a different application of Regrowth, which forces Foreign Structural Information onto incompatible objects. The effects of Regrowth (for the purpose of healing) are mostly permanent due to the fact that an object's own Eidos are reflected back on it, tricking the Self-Restorative Powers of the World into believing that nothing had changed. The Eidos themselves also accept this change due to their compatibility with each other, and there is thus no reason for the altered Structural Information to revert back to it's original state. Gradation Projection takes a different approach however. In this story, Tatsuya carries state of the art Data Chips capable of holding large quantities of information, into which he stored the Structural Information of Military Equipment in the form of electronic data. By reading the Data stored within the Data Chips and applying that Structural Information onto that very Data Chip, Tatsuya briefly forces the Eidos of the Data Chip to accept the Structural Information of any Military Equipment (knife, grenade, gun, etc.) whose Data was stored inside the Data Storage. However, due to the incompatibility of Structural Information, the transformation will only last for a brief period of time before the original Eidos reject the foreign Information and revert back into their previous state. Therefore, while this allows Tatsuya to summon countless of weapons at his convenience, each only lasts for a few seconds before the Self-Restorative Powers of the World recognize the anomaly.

* * *

 **Saegusa Mayumi**

 **Abilities** \- Systematic Magic - Sensory-Systematic Magic - Non-Systematic Magic

Systematic Magic \- Magic Shooter - Bias Release - Herd Control _\- Unknown Ability - Unknown Ability_

Magic Shooter is a Systematic Magic that uses two processes of two different systems to create a single phenomena. By using Convergence-Type Magic to gather carbon dioxide particles in the air into condensed pockets and granting them velocity through the use of Movement-Type Magic, they are transformed into subsonic dry ice pellets due to the energy needed for acceleration being taken from it's innate thermal energy, consequentially freezing the gaseous particles in the process. Due to it's simplicity and destructive power, Magic Shooter has become one of Mayumi's favored magics due to it's ability to be used in anti-personal, as well as anti-vehicular warfare.

Bias Release is another Convergence-Type Magic which compresses air into tube-shaped containers to build up pressure, and releasing that pressure into a desired direction or at a desired target. In terms of destructive power, it is able to cause massive internal injury to a human target, but due to it's nature it is only usable at close to medium-range, as the air would naturally start to diffuse otherwise. Taking the preparation time into account, this magic is less suited for long-ranged combat and optimized for short to medium-ranged subjugation. If Magic Shooter were a Sniper Rifle, then Bias Release would be the modern equivalent of a Shotgun.

By ingraining a delayed Magic Sequence for Absorption-Type Magic into a prepared batch of concentrated Coal Marbles, all Mayumi has to do is shoot them at her opponent with Simple-Systematic Movement-Type Magic to elicit a vicious Coal-Dust Explosion. As the activation condition for the delayed Magic Sequence is set for the instant when the Coal Marble shatters, no further input from the magician is required for the Absorption-Type Combustion Reaction to occur. Once the coal dust is oxidized it turns into a harmless non-reactive state but it can always be armed once more by forcibly releasing the bonded oxygen through the use of Dispersion-Type Magic. This then allows the user to control a shapeless cloud of explosive coal dust which can be freely controlled through the Saegusa's signature Herd-Control Magic or even by manually manipulating wind currents to direct the dust particles into a targeted location. It is safe to assume that this magic becomes deadlier the more Coal Dust has been scattered.

 _An unknown ability that is yet to be revealed._

 _An unknown ability that is yet to be revealed._

Sensory-Systematic Magic \- Multi-Scope

Mayumi's unique Sensory-Systematic Magic allows her to enhance her optical awareness of her surroundings by creating Psionic Information Bodies that act as additional sensory organs. This allows her to observe targets from multiple angles by surrounding them with said Sensory Enhancements, but it also gives her the ability to expand her vision beyond physical boundaries like walls and barriers by creating Psionic Information Bodies beyond these walls and monitor their perceived optical information like one would observe a camera feed. This magic seems to induce nearly no strain on her Magic Calculation Area at all, as Mayumi is seen to be continuously using it for multiple days without pause. It is very likely that this Sensory-Systematic Magic lead to her interest in long-ranged combat in the past.

Non-Systematic Magic \- Psion Bullet

While not to the extent of Gram Demolition, Mayumi has shown an expert proficient in handling Psions, able to shape them into concise bullets and firing them into deploying Simple-Systematic Activation Sequences to interfere with their invocation. While possessing the skill necessary for Gram Demolition, Mayumi lacks the required Psion count and is thus unable to interfere with any Activation Sequences beyond one or two processes. Additionally, due to the simplicity and frailty of her Psion Bullet, Mayumi does not possess the required force to shatter Magic Sequences unlike Gram Demolition, limiting her Counter-Magic to Simple-Systematic Activation Sequences with few processes.

* * *

 **Kitayama Shizuku**

 **Abilities** \- Systematic Magic

Systematic Magic \- Phonon Maser - _Unknown Ability_

Shizuku inherited her proficiency in Oscillation-Type Magic, specifically in the field of High-Output Vibrations, from her famed mother. Easily learning simpler magics like Resonance, Shizuku was even able to master the extremely high-tier magic Phonon Maser, a magic that raised supersonic oscillations to the point that it would create a quantum heat-ray, before the tender age of fifteen. Phonon Maser rivals other high-tier magics such as Inferno in terms of difficulty, and likewise boasts similar destructive potential.

 _An unknown ability that is yet to be revealed._

* * *

 **Mitsui Honoka**

 **Abilities** \- Systematic Magic - _Unknown_

Systematic Magic \- Light Refraction

As an Element of Light, Honoka is exceptionally skilled in Optical Camouflage and other Visual Enhancements due to her unrivaled grasp of "Light", to the point where even Miyuki was unable to replicate Honoka's achievements. As the first official magicians of Japan, the bloodline of the Elements boasts incredible power, and while Honoka's might remains dormant for now, it is possible that Tatsuya may uncover a sliver of her potential in the future.

 _Unknown Magic_ _\- Unknown_

 _An unknown ability that is yet to be revealed … may it eclipse the light of a dying star._

* * *

 **Yotsuba Maya**

 **Abilities** \- Systematic Magic

Systematic Magic \- Meteor Stream

Yotsuba Maya, among her many titles, is best known as the officially recognized strongest Magicians in the World. Meteor Stream is the magic that cements her position at the top to this very day. While it is officially categorized as a Converge-Type Magic, it's true lethality is born from a process similar to Tatsuya's Decomposition Magic. Meteor Stream is activated by using Convergence-Type Magic to gather the surrounding light into highly concentrated orbs of light that surround the target at all angles, robbing the target of it's vision in the process. A line of iridescent light is then drawn between the numerous orbs, applying Structural Decomposition to anything the light touches. In terms of phenomena, this magic shares Mist Dispersion's causative effect on a targeted object, but is significantly limited in it's usage. One may even question whether or not Tatsuya's ability was born form Maya's own?

* * *

 **Shiba Miyuki**

 **Abilities** \- Systematic Magic - Outer-Systematic Magic

Systematic Magic \- Oscillation-Type Magic

Miyuki is the perfect representation of what it means to be the "Ideal Magician". With Interference Strength that surpasses that of the USNA's High Commander Angie Sirius, Invocation Speed too swift to be properly measured with standard-issue measuring devices, and the ability to deploy highly complex Magic Sequences with ease, Miyuki could easily be rated as one of the best magicians worldwide … according to the Internationally Standardized Grading Criteria for Modern Magic at least. Her specialization in Oscillation-Type Magic, especially in the field of freezing, is a natural side-effect of her innate Mental-Interference Magic, and allows her to dominate the field of Oscillation-Type Magic with unprecedented skill. Taking the simple Speed-Type Magic "Deceleration Zone" as an example, Miyuki is able to extend her reach all the way to the oscillations of gaseous molecules present within her defined area, granting her the ability to freely manipulate pressure differences within the air at will. Similarly, this allows her to completely deconstruct magics highly dependent on high-output vibrations and oscillatory movement, such as Phonon Maser and possibly Mine Genesis.

Outer-Systematic Magic \- Cocytus

Miyuki's Cocytus is a powerful Mental-Interference Magic with the ability to freeze Psion and Pushion Information Bodies, which includes Independent Psionic Information Structures such as Nature Spirits and Parasites, as well as the Psion Information Bodies of humans; more commonly known as the "Soul". As Psions are the conceptualized particles representative of Thought, and Pushions the the representative particles for Emotion, Miyuki is able to target any and all sentient consciousness without exception. Though not much is yet known about this magic, it is likely that Cocytus is only able to affect Intelligent Structures much like Tatsuya's Gram Dispersion, rendering it unable to affect orderless concentrations of Psions and Pushions such as Gram Demolition and it's Contact-Type variant. Unlike Tatsuya's Gram Dispersion however, Miyuki is free to target both Psions and Pushions alike.

* * *

 **Yaegashi Himeko**

 **Abilities** \- Systematic Magic - Outer-Systematic Magic

Systematic Magic \- Kamaitachi v.02 - Vacuum Bomb - Air Cocoon

Though originally an Ancient Magic technique, Himeko modified Kamaitachi to mainly include Convergence-Type processes of Modern Magic to shorten it's Invocation Ritual without sacrificing the sharpness and stability of the original technique. As this modified magic's design has been majorly simplified, it's load on her Magic Calculation Area has likewise been lessened to allow Himeko to cast multiple iterations in a short period of time. Due to it's effectiveness and efficiency, this "Wind Blade" has recently become Himeko's magic of choice.

Vacuum Bomb requires a substantial amount of effort and concentration, prompting Himeko to rely on it only when the situation calls for it. Using Dispersal-Type Magic, Himeko targets any gaseous particles within a given radius and forcefully pushed them outside the defined area, authentically emulating Vacuum. By itself this Vacuum Orb is difficult to maintain and doesn't have any significant effects on it's surroundings, but upon the cancellation of the magic, the surrounding air violently rushing back into the void space to create a massive implosion, crushing whatever solid matter resided within it. Depending on the Vacuum Bomb's diameter, this magic can be used for anti-personnel combat as well as anti-vehicular warfare. Stretching her capabilities to the limit, Himeko would even be able to tear down heavily fortified structures. The downsides to this magic include the heavy strain it puts on the caster's Magic Calculation Area, as well as the time needed for it's invocation.

Air Cocoon is a simplistic magic derived from Ancient Magic which envelops the user in rapidly shifting currents of wind to shield them from physical attacks. The speed of the wind's rotation as well as the fortification applied to it's form through the use of Ancient Magic makes this defensive technique a viable option against various forms of physical impacts. However, much like with any magic, if it's Interference Strength is overcome by a phenomena that exceeds it's strength to alter information, this magic can be overcome.

Outer-Systematic Magic \- Range Reduction

Range Reduction is an Outer-Systematic Magic that alters a magician's subconscious perception of distance. As it solely attacks the subconscious, an affected magician is still able to consciously identify targets at long distances, yet is no longer able to invoke magic anywhere but in his immediate vicinity. Compared to other Outer-Systematic Type Magics, Range Reduction plays a more passive role and is unable to directly interfere with the mind, causing it's effectiveness to be heavily dependent on the user's opponent. Magicians like Tomitsuka Hagane and Chiba Erika would be completely unaffected by this Outer-Systematic Magic due to their main usage of Contact-Type Magics, while magicians like Chiyoda Kanon and Itsuwa Mio would be helpless when confronted by Range Reduction.

* * *

 **Yaegashi Taichi**

 **Abilities** \- Systematic Magic

Systematic Magic \- Magnetism

With his left Specialized Brass Knuckle-Shaped CAD controlling Magnetism, and his right allowing him to adjust his body's Inertia and Velocity, Yaegashi takes advantage of any magnetic materials around him to transform his body into a brisk cannonball able to traverse the battlefield with erratic movement. If no metallic structures are found nearby, Yaegashi usually provides an arsenal of 10cm thick Neodymium Alloy Blocks that he can use as improvised anchors to aid his movement. Additionally, instead of pulling his body towards them, he is also able to freely control their movement and shoot them out like projectiles, and is even able to interfere with their movement without being in contact with them. Not only does this grant him long-ranged attack options, but it also greatly enhances his close-quarter fighting potential by allowing him to attack his enemy from multiple blindspots while simultaneously pressuring his opponent with his brass-knuckled fists. Rather than paying attention to him alone, his opponents are required to constantly observe any movement in a 360° Radius around themselves to guard themselves from the crushing force of his Neodymium Plates. If his attacks were to be further aided by his partner's aerial abilities, it would prove to be increasingly difficult to survive his onslaught of attacks without a 6th Sense bordering on Omniscience. Elemental Sight would be one such example.

* * *

 **Atria**

 ** _Abilities_** _\- Unknown_

 _Unknown Magic_ _\- Supernova_

 _Other than the emission of large quantities of light, not much is yet known about this ability. It is said to be derived from Yotsuba Maya's "Meteor Stream"._


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note**

Phew, I apologize beforehand, but this chapter is a bit more messy than the others ones since I crammed in my writing sessions whenever I had the time.  
Hopefully you guys are ok with that...

Yeah, Fate/Apocrypha really isn't helping my writing at all xD

* * *

A door opened to reveal the charming figure of Yotsuba Maya.

While it was well lit by the afternoon sun, the room seemed darker than the outside corridor for a reason that the servants of the Yotsuba household had long since stopped to question. It seemed that light itself had fallen under the Queen's grasp. All but the radiance that appeared before her that is.

Despite bathed in Maya's undivided attention, the caucasian woman's resolute bearing remained undaunted. This did not imply that she defied her master's will however.

Humility in pride.  
Dubiety in loyalty.  
Empathy in reason.

Wickedness and virtue stood side by side as the gallant figure of a girl bowed before her Queen; viridescent eyes lowered in an act of subservience.

"You requested my presence Yotsuba-sama?"

"What is the condition of your Magic Calculation Area?"

The tied up strands of the girl's blonde hair shook slightly. Yotsuba Maya rarely wasted time on pointless chatter but even so, her haste seemed unusually pronounced today.

"Though I used my magic excessively during my deployment in Britain, I have made a full recovery. If you so wish I could return to the field of battle at a moments notice."

Concealed by darkness, few would have noticed the breath that escaped Maya's lips.

Tension? Was this just her imagination? This would be the first time she witnessed her master to be in such a state of distress. Her emerald eyes briefly shut to erase her pointless concern.

"Stand by in the 2nd Training Hall for contact. One hour ago three operatives have been sent to deal with a dangerous target and may be in need of assistance"

"Forgive my rudeness, but I have yet to learn to materialize my magic outside my immediate surroundings like yourself. Rather than standing by, should I not travel to their location?"

"There is no need for that as their mission is primarily a scouting mission. Your involvement will only be necessary if there is a risk of losing one of our assets to the enemy. Remain on standby and activate your magic once the portal opens."

The girl clenched her fist.

"Portal … wouldn't I be putting 'him' at risk if I were to fire indiscriminately? Destructive power is not an issue, but I still lack the ability control my magic on a smaller scale. I would be hesitant to so recklessly strike down the product of Shiba Miya's last efforts."

The sun's radiance remained unobstructed by clouds, yet the room darkened for another reason altogether.

"He should be well aware of that risk. In the first place, his inability to handle the situation himself proves that he was a destined failure to begin with. Fire at will, but try to limit your power. It would be a mistake to disclose the existence of a Strategic-Class Magician amongst our midst."

"Understood!"

* * *

"Himeko!", Yaegashi desperately bellowed as he was assaulted by the explosion's substantial heat-wave.

Despite his best efforts however, Yaegashi was unable part even one stride from Tatsuya's relentless barrage of attacks. This sudden ferocity was by no means a coincidence since the openings caused by Yaegashi's concern only invited more of his opponent's merciless blows. Tatsuya already knew that Yaegashi's concern would be short-lived however.

A sudden vortex of airstreams burst out from within the growing dust cloud, ripping it apart like an invisible orb to reveal the disheveled figure of woman. The blackened strands of her hair still emitted smoke like burning incense and the black overcoat she wore was torn apart to reveal a white short-sleeved blouse. Sliding the charred cloth off her bruised skin, Himeko discarded said coat, displaying numerous lacerations on her arms and body. The protective overcoat she wore had been woven out of heat-resistant synthetic fiber to endow it with a mediocre degree of shock-absorbing properties. Despite admirably serving it's purpose, it had now become lost it's use.

Her dried up throat prompted the short outburst of a stinging cough.

In the many years she served under the Yotsuba, this was the first time she had received this level of damage. The initial feeling of ecstasy over dominating the eldest daughter of the Saegusa in her own field had fed her arrogance, a carelessness that had proven to be a near lethal mistake. Had it not been for the discarded piece of cloth beside her, the lacerations on her arms would have been the least of her worries.

 _"_ _Those marbles…"_

Surrounded by the dust of crumbled marbles, Himeko's dry cough turned into a self-deprecating sigh.

How foolish she must have been to dismiss Mayumi's marbles as mere projectile weaponry. Scattered at her her feet was nothing other but oxidized coal dust.

Himeko had faced the Goldie family's "Tathlum" before and was therefore familiar with the concept of delayed Activation Sequences. Though originally an Ancient Magic technique, it was primarily the 7th Magic Research Institute that modernized this application of ingrained Magic Sequences with predetermined activation conditions in order to supplement their development of magic that could be used to battle a multitude of opponents at once. The crowning achievement of this research was without a doubt the Shippou's "Million Edge", but the Saegusa too reaped the benefits of Herd-Control Magic and the method of preparing projectiles ahead of time by imprinting them with delayed Magic Sequences. Unlike the Shippou, the Saegusa deemed it impractical to constantly depend on a magic medium that had to be prepared beforehand and were therefore not well known for their use of this particular Ancient Magic technique, but they excelled in it's use nonetheless.

As opposed to the Goldie family's Tathlum, Mayumi's coal marbles were not imbedded with Movement-Type Magic to serve as projectiles, but with Simple-Systematic Absorption-Type Magic to serve as explosives. The activation condition was set to be the instant they were destroyed and aimed to cause a collective oxidation reaction to trigger a natural coal dust explosion. Thanks to this, Mayumi was still able to accelerate them towards her enemy from her vicinity without having to worry about detonating them remotely. Under the conditions dictated by Himeko's Outer-Systematic Magic, this method of attack allowed Mayumi to even the odds of the battlefield.

Before the residual heat of the previous explosion could fully disperse, another handful a coal marbles darted through the air once more.

Just like before, blades of sharpened wind mercilessly tore them apart.

Just like before, the masses of coal regained their original shape an instant after the ravaging wind passed.

However, unlike before, the marbles were then engulfed in an unforgiving vacuum that once more ripped them into shreds. The scattered dust momentarily reassembled before being obliterated by the following implosion. This time, dust remained dust. Even though the Magic Sequence remained active, the oxidation reaction was nearly unnoticeable due to the dust being scattered too thinly by Himeko's retaliatory attack.

 _"_ _So she figured it out already…"_ , Tatsuya cursed between his blows.

Though his powers were often likened to that of a god's, Tatsuya himself was by no means omnipotent.

His upper limit for mass-targeting with Mist Dispersion barely amounted to 24, but even then that was only the case if he were facing a single enemy. Though he would never dare to label her as a burden, it was a fact that Tatsuya was constantly monitoring Mayumi's condition throughout the battle in order to react to any fatal injury. Additionally, while he was already tied down with facing off against a specialist in close-quarters combat, he also had to constantly divert fragments of his attention to Himeko's repeated attacks, and had to further divide those into attacks meant for Mayumi and attacks meant for himself. On top of that were the shackles placed on him by the cowardly magician hiding in the back.

Comparatively speaking, Mist Dispersion was a simple magic. Though the analysis and decomposition of Structural Information was a task not many magicians could comprehend, it was a much more straightforward than Regrowth or even Mist Adhesion.

Though Tatsuya's upper limit for mass-targeting with Mist Dispersion was 24, this was an estimate based on Disintegration Magic and not Restoration Magic. Not only was Regrowth multiple times more burdening, it was also more complicated. While restoring marbles that had just been destroyed was still within Tatsuya's scope of capability, it was simply too much too ask for him to dedicate undivided attention to each and every one of Mayumi's launched projectiles. The main limitation was time. As time passed, Structural Information would continue to grow and make Restoration Magic increasingly more complex due to the need for Tatsuya to analyze and comprehend the entirety of an object's Eidos.

If the destruction was instantaneous Tatsuya would still be able to use Regrowth, but if the destructive process lingered on for more than 3 seconds, as was the case with Himeko's Vacuum Bomb, Tatsuya was forced to abandon his focus due to Mayumi's new barrage of projectile weaponry. By lingering on the fading Eidos of coal marbles caught up in one of Himeko's implosions, Tatsuya would consequentially lose sight not only of Mayumi's magic, but that of Himeko and Yaegashi as well. Under the current circumstances, he could not risk this level carelessness simply for a single explosion to succeed.

Rather than lamenting his powerlessness, Tatsuya instead focused on what options were available to him. If his current state didn't allow him to aid Mayumi, then all he had to do was finish off his opponent. Looking at it that way, his plan of action was rather simple. Yaegashi had to be eliminated.

Tatsuya took two side-steps to the left,  
dove underneath an approaching neodymium plate,  
jumped out of the ensuing pincer attack.

The moment his feet touched the ground, the lethal dance started all over again.

Though trying his best to conceal his outrage, it seemed that the sudden ferocity of Yaegashi's attacks was a direct response to Himeko's injury. The two long-ranged magicians seemed evenly matched thus far, meaning that the deciding factor would be victor of Yaegashi's and Tatsuya's personal bout. Yaegashi's relentless attacks indicated that he had also come to the same conclusion.

Six neodymium plates now constantly hovered at Yaegashi's side like a pair of outstretched wings, each shooting out whenever he retracted his punches, and each swiftly returning to strike at Tatsuya's unguarded back each time they passed Tatsuya's figure. Yaegashi juggled his neodymium plates in a pernicious struggle for supremacy and managed to once more push Tatsuya onto the defensive.

Unknown to Yaegashi however, Tatsuya was starting to familiarize himself with his opponent's attack pattern.

Side-step. Duck. Jump. Duck. Side-step. Side-step. Duck.

Another neodymium plate grazed past his left cheekbone when Tatsuya flooded his legs with Psions to explosively charge at Yaegashi while firmly grasping the contents of his breast pocket. Reacting to the sudden movement, Yaegashi retracted his six plates and raised his right fist to meet Tatsuya's attack. Instead of an attack however, Tatsuya's right hand scattered a myriad of Data Chips by carelessly tossing them into the air.

 _"_ _A distraction?!"_ , Yaegashi mused, ignorant of their true purpose.

Instead of following the directionless rain of harmless Data Chips, Yaegashi met Tatsuya's fist with his metallic brass-knuckle to instantly stop it in it's tracks. Tatsuya willingly took the inevitable injury to momentarily divert Yaegashi's attention. Snatching a falling Data Chip out of the sky, Tatsuya concealed the motion by following it up with a precise uppercut to Yaegashi's jaw, but this attack too was effortlessly halted by his foe's armed fist.

Yaegashi welcomed this stalemate.

While Tatsuya's options were limited now that his arms were restrained by his own, Yaegashi's quivering neodymium plates were only seconds away from mutilating their target's defenseless body.

Yet.

Yaegashi had only just selected the Magnetic-Type Activation Sequence from his CAD.

When suddenly…

 _"_ _What the f-"_

…cold steel pressed against his forehead.

Tatsuya pulled the trigger of the military-issue handgun that had suddenly appeared in his left hand.

It was a miracle that Yaegashi managed to fling his body out of the bullet's trajectory to save his life, though the bullet inevitably seared through his earlobe nonetheless. His auditory perception deafened by the explosive gunshot, Yaegashi was wholly unprepared for his opponent's knee that buried itself into his helpless face.

His right eardrum burst and left eye heavily lacerated by Tatsuya's merciless attack, Yaegashi weakly stumbled backwards after losing his balance … straight into another trap.

A stray Data Chip that had dropped behind his back suddenly turned into an armed hand grenade on the brink of explosion. Obviously he had no way of actually witnessing the transformation itself, his left eye's vision was stained in a dark crimson due to internal bleeding, but Yaegashi could feel the movement of Psions nonetheless. More out of instinct that conscious thought, he positioned the neodymium plates on his back between himself and the ensuing explosion to minimize the blast, while simultaneously invoking Inertia-Cancelation Magic from his right CAD.

The neodymium wall locked into place but the Speed-Type Magic didn't make it in time.

Though most of it's force was absorbed by the hovering plates, Yaegashi's back was still seared by the intense heat and was blown back into Tatsuya's direction like a lifeless punching bag. He cracked his right eyelid open for a mere instant to gaze at Tatsuya's empty-handed figure whose left arm was outstretched for a mysterious reason.

A throbbing whimper forced Yaegashi's eye shut as his fractured left arm finally buckled uncle the intense pressure and broke into a disfigured shape.

Not a moment later, peeking through his bloodied left eye this time, Yaegashi spotted a loaded handgun in Tatsuya's previously empty palm.

In a finally act of desperation, the wounded combatant threw his right fist straight at the gun's barrel just as the cocked hammer struck the firing mechanism. The bullet collided with Yaegashi's metallic CAD before it exited the barrel, blowing apart the gun itself as well as the CAD it struck.

The destruction of the handgun was of no consequence to Tatsuya however.  
It would have only existed for another 1.43 seconds anyway.

Tossing out the Storage Unit that held the gun and swapping it out with two new Data Chips, Tatsuya dropped to his knees and activated Restoration Magic once more, this time summoning two combat-knifes in each hand and burying one of them into Yaegashi's left foot to pin him into the ground. Switching the knife in his left into a backhanded grip, Tatsuya's body darted upwards at unprecedented speed to burry it into Yaegashi's exposed sternum.

Yaegashi was overcome by trepidation.

Was this the same man he fought earlier?

No. This wasn't a man. He was a vessel possessed by a demon. The incarnation of Shiva, a God of Destruction in human shape.

What else… what else could explain the emotionless void that filled his eyes?

No hesitation slowed his movement.  
No empathy stilled his actions.

With the efficiency of a machine, this man eradicated anything he deemed a threat to himself and his friends.

Yaegashi now understood the urgency of the Yotsuba… their fear.

Tatsuya wasn't a threat to the Yotsuba. He was the culmination of their fear.  
A nightmare that had come to haunt them and punish them for their sins.

Despite accepting the hopelessness of the situation, Yaegashi activated the left CAD on his broken arm to create a repulsive magnetic field around his chest to divert the trajectory of Tatsuya's knife. The metallic blade quivered as it collided with the magnetic force, sliding off to the left, and sheathing itself into Yaegashi's right forearm instead.

"Tatsuya!", a clear feminine voice rang out from behind Tatsuya.

Tatsuya noticed the formation of no less than twenty blades of wind, and immediately Flash Casted Acceleration-Type Magic in conjunction to his Psion enhanced legs to escape the ravaging tempest of Himeko's rage. In his haste, Tatsuya was unable to recover the scattered Data Chips littered around Yaegashi's broken body.

Retreating back to Mayumi's side, he took note of her coal stained dress and fingers; the bag itself lay discarded beside her.

"Were those the last of your marbles?", without wasting a beat, Tatsuya shelved his concern regarding her appearance for later.

Mayumi likely didn't care much for it herself as she simply nodded in between ragged breaths.

 _"_ _Good…"_ , Tatsuya muttered in his mind as he reached out into the Information Dimension, _"…then we've as good as won."_

"Yaegashi! Are you alright!?", Himeko's shouted as she hurried over to her fallen partner.

The question itself was merely stated out of concern as the obvious state of Yaegashi's bloodied figure did little to conceal his condition. While she herself was covered in lacerations and bruises, Yaegashi was impaled by two knives, had a broken arm, and was inflicted by third-degree burns all over his back. It was a miracle that he still remained conscious after all that.

".. I'm alright … he took me by surprise .. it wouldn't happen ag-"

Before Yaegashi could finish speaking his eyes met Tatsuya's cold-hearted gaze.

He wasn't done yet.

The two combat knives embedded in Yaegashi's flesh slowly crumbled into dust as the original Eidos rejected the foreign Structural Information forced upon them by Tatsuya, and returned to their original shape.

A single Data Chip remained embedded in his left foot, but the second knife's disappearance revealed an additional Data Chip stuck in Yaegashi forearm. There was one too many.

A surge of Psions erupted from Tatsuya's hand and acted on the third Storage Unit; the information it contained was that of a hand grenade.

Tatsuya's Magic Sequence expanded and began to re-write the Structural Composition of the Storage Unit.

The Data Chip emitted a faint glow as it began to expand-

But was suddenly pulverized by a force of several hundred kilograms.

 _"…_ _not bad"_ , Tatsuya did not mock Yaegashi's efforts, but instead honestly admired his steadfast determination.

Truly, a fighter of his caliber would be very welcome in the 101 Magic Battalion.

As opposed to Tatsuya's nonchalant gaze, Himeko's eyes widened in terror. That was only to be expected. Right before her, her own partner had decisively crushed his own right arm in between two magnetically accelerated neodymium plates. Tearing through flesh and bone like paper, he willingly discarded whatever remained of his disfigured body to save his spouse from the inevitable explosion by Tatsuya's grenade. Though Yaegashi had no way of discerning what it was Tatsuya had attempted to summon from within his own arm, he couldn't risk even single instant of hesitation. Endangering Himeko more than he already had was the one thing he could not bear.

In fact, if Himeko were outside the expected blast radius, he doubted he could have stopped the transforming Storage Unit in time.

".. you … seem surprised .. Tatsuya …"

Yaegashi barely retained the ability to talk. Each breath felt like swallowed needles piercing his lungs and the sole act of sitting upright tore new wounds into his charred back. If he had to cite a reason for his tough act, he could only think of one.

"Reaction time. Martial prowess. Awareness of the battlefield. Teamwork. Magic skill. But above all, determination. You have it all, both you and your partner. Magicians of your talent are nigh impossible to find nowadays. Though I cannot speak for the entirety of the Japanese Special Defense Forces, I can promise you a successful career in the unit I belong to. For an Element and a man such as yourself to join our ranks … you'd easily outrank me within the week."

What Tatsuya offered was not a career, it was freedom ... life even.  
Such was Tatsuya's ultimatum; a judgement enforced by the Silver CAD in his hands.

In response to Tatsuya's mercy, Yaegashi gave off a dry chuckle.

"I take it you will not surrender then?", Tatsuya confirmed for the last time.

Himeko's outline blurred in the light of her Psions…  
… but Mayumi was one step ahead.

Littered around the battlefield was a carpet of Coal Dust.

As it had already combusted and oxidized with the available oxygen in the air, it had lost it's explosive potential and become completely harmless. If it were to remain in it's oxidized state that is.

Mayumi invoked a large-scale Dispersion-Type Magic to separate the oxygen from the Coal Dust and return it to it's reactive state, a feat only possible due to Himeko's inadvertent emotional state canceling the continued activation of her unique Outer-Systematic Magic. Tatsuya had noted the absence of the inaudible humming noise earlier and informed Mayumi accordingly, though he had also planned for a scenario in which the Outer-Systematic Magic was still active.

Mayumi's magic forcibly expelled the bonded oxygen and created a layer of explosive Coal Dust covered in a diffusing blanket of pure oxygen.

With the last of his cognitive ability, Yaegashi conjured a final powerful magnetic field which recalled each and every scattered neodymium plate to create a semi-circular metallic sphere, one which was then enhanced by raging torrents of air cascading around them to act as a last pillar of support.

Tatsuya lowered the hand that held his CAD.

The combination of both magics was magnificently executed, a perfect harmony of Magic Sequences rivaling the cooperative affinity of the Saegusa twins. Rather than interfering with each other, both Magic Sequences actually enhanced each other to create a single powerful phenomena.

Yet.

Tatsuya did not lower his CAD in awe.

It was simply that his following action did not even require the use of his CAD.

Tatsuya recalled a Simple-Systematic Release-Type Spell from memory.

A small spark of lighting ignited a speck of coal.

The wall of metal and air crumbled into nonexistence.

* * *

"Shoot her! Kill her! Why isn't she dead yet!", the hysterical cries of a scholarly-dressed man forced his numerous underlings to continue their fruitless task.

 _"_ _Tsukasa Hajime was it? It is a wonder how a man as incompetent as himself managed to become the commander of Blanche's Japanese Branch…"_ , a woman casually pondered while deflecting the myriad of bullets aimed at her slowly advancing body.

She wasn't merely deflecting the bullets, nor was she simply reversing their motion vectors. By manually adjusting the motion vector of each incoming projectile and redirecting them into a desired location, the dark-haired woman steadily thinned her opposition with their own ammunition, an act of inhuman skill that rivaled the barrier magic of the Juumonji. She had previously taken care of her opposition's Antenite rings and thus allowed herself to display such a careless act of dominance.

Not that any of these men had the ability to challenge her in the field of magic in the first place.

Taking care to dodge the splatters of blood from tainting her expensive suit, the woman simply continued her advancing pace until only the man by the name of Tsukasa Hajime was left.

"Please! I've done nothing wrong! All I wanted wasaAAARGHH-"

The man grasped his chest in agony before he was able to finish his plea. That was only the expected reaction after the woman redirected all of his arterial blood back into his heart though. Due to her specialization in Barrier-Type Magic, it was only natural that Vector Reversal was within her scope of abilities.

Watching the man collapse under his own weight, the woman removed a small Information Terminal from the inner pocket of her suit jacket and informed her Kuroba associate of the mission's success.

The Japanese Blanche Headquarters were completely wiped out.

After Shiba Miyuki had enrolled in First High it was only natural for the Kuroba to perform an additional investigation of the area to ensure her continued well-being. The Japanese Blanche Headquarters seemed to have amassed a substantial arsenal of weaponry and manpower in the recent months and it was later discovered that their sub-organization, Egalite, had gained several supporters from within First High's student body.

Therefore they were eradicated.

Miyuki was a potential heir to Yotsuba Maya's position.  
Another reason was not needed.

The middle-aged woman sighed as she stepped over her target's corpse and approached the exit.

Ever since her Master's untimely death she had been ordered to accomplish various unorthodox tasks by Yotsuba Maya's direct order. As her elder twin-sister's personal guardian, it was only natural that Maya's scorn extended over to herself as well, and she was thus forced to accomplish a multitude of tasks one after another to keep her hands tied. She didn't have any intention to oppose Yotsuba, didn't have the means to, so it was unlikely that she would ever instigate an act of rebellion anyway. Regardless of that however, Maya's scorn was above rationale.

The well-dressed woman breathed another sigh as she exited the building to meet up with her Kuroba associate waiting for her. She barely knew his name, her only connection to him being that of accomplices for this particular mission.

"Any changes?", she casually inquired while adjusting her tie.

"No miss. Nobody approached the building and the clean-up team will be arriving in 10 minutes."

"Then my presence is no longer required?"

"Transportation has been arranged. You are to return to your hotel to await your next assignment."

The woman merely nodded in assent as she passed her associate.

However, she stopped in her tracks as soon as she recognized an abnormality. Turning back to face the Kuroba agent, the woman pointed at the eastern sky.

"You assured me that there were no changes in the environment. Even though I'm unable to recreate them, I can easily discern cognitive barriers of Ancient Magician's regardless."

What the woman was referring to was a large-scale cognitive barrier erected around a large park a few kilometers east from her position.

"Ah. My apologies. This is a construct of Ancient Magicians employed by the Yotsuba. It seems they are dealing with a high-priority target."

The woman couldn't hold back a surprised gasp. An assassination? In the middle of the city? And at broad daylight no less? Rather than going through the effort of mobilizing 3rd Party Magicians to eliminate a target, the Yotsuba usually favored deploying specially trained Kuroba operatives for covert assassination.

Before the woman could ponder more about this uncharacteristically brash action, she felt a large tremor undoubtedly caused by a massive explosion. As she had identified the cognitive barrier, she had gained a certain degree of immunity to it's effects; such was the strength and fatal flaw of it's use.

"That explosion… what is going on over there?"

"I apologize but that would be classified."

A sharp glare was all that was needed to prompt the man to continue.

"… I myself have not been told the details. All I know is that the Element Yaegashi Himeko and her fiancé have been contracted for this mission."

The woman directed her gaze back at the distant park.

An existence that could throw the Yotsuba into disarray.  
Inflict them with fear.  
Threaten them.

Only one such existence existed in this world.

Only one man bore the power to oppose the Queen of the Night.

Sakurai Honami straightened her tie once more as she headed into the direction of her hotel.

* * *

The dust cleared to reveal two people on the verge of death. Let alone third-degree burns, their skin had been disfigured beyond recognition. Their mere sight was repulsive, though that was incomparable to the numbing stench of burnt skin and hair. Their breath was but a weak whimper, each closer to disappearing than the last.

Towering above them was their executioner.

His cyan eyes were unwavering, his outstretched CAD unmoving. To put these pathetic existences out of their misery, Tatsuya merely pulled the trigger of his Silver Trident twice, once for each of his victims.

His stiff arm shook for but an instant before he sheathed his CAD.

"You did the right thing…", Mayumi comforted as she joined Tatsuya's side, placing one of her hands on his stiff shoulder, "… on their own they wouldn't have been able to escape the Yotsuba's grasp."

"It's just…"

Taking a second to put his feelings into words, Tatsuya cracked a soft smile when met with Mayumi's captivating eyes.

"…it seems like I've turned soft. You are a bad influence you know that?"

Mayumi responded to his sarcastic comment with a brilliant smile of her own, her mood brightened by the sight of Yaegashi's and Himeko's healthy bodies before them.

Restoration Magic could not reverse death itself. Tatsuya had the ability to reverse the state of Eidos and Psions, but once the soul was lost, even Tatsuya was unable to retrieve it. It was a stroke of fortune that Yaegashi and Himeko endured the attack long enough for Tatsuya to restore their dying bodies. Yet, even with their physical condition dealt with, it was obvious that they wouldn't regain consciousness for at least an hour.

 _"…"_

Not only was this evident to Tatsuya and Mayumi, but to the fifth presence on the battlefield as well.

Taking a step back to escape from the increasingly unfavorable situation, the remaining Yotsuba magician was immediately stopped by a bullet embedding itself not a centimeter away from his foot.

Raising his gaze, he was met by the smoking barrel of a gun.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Rather than the emotionless attitude he displayed before, the annoyance in Tatsuya's voice was painfully evident.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note**

Hmmm, since there seem to be a few people with similar concerns I'll quickly try to address them here.  
I have to admit that Tatsuya's lack of an Artificial Magic Calculation Area deprives him of things such as Cast Jamming and conventional use of Systematic Magic, but his martial ability and original magics function just as they did in the canon universe. Tatsuya certainly seems much weaker when compared to his rampages in the original Novels, but that is mostly due to his opponents being handpicked by the Yotsuba to counter him, the key component of this strategy being the use of Mist Adhesion.

I am aware that the introduction of this ability is a cheap way of creating fictional tension, but I also realized that conflict would be meaningless without it.  
While I guess this handicap forces Tatsuya to rely more on others in order to fill the gap left by the now unusable Mist Dispersion, this is merely a dependence caused by the presence of Mist Adhesion.

Hopefully this answers your concerns? Mainly the two guest users "pyramidekheops" and "Guest" ^^

* * *

"And where do you think you're going?"

The hooded man visibly froze under Tatsuya's enmity, his retreat stopped in it's tracks by the sheer pressure of his annoyed glare.

"Tatsuya?"

It was natural for Mayumi to be slightly taken aback by her partner's change in attitude. Their third assailant was a mystery to her, and while she noted his presence during the incident with the Kuroba Twins, she didn't know of anything he had done to upset Tatsuya to this extent; neither did he inform her of anything in particular on the day he spent the evening in her bedroom.

If pressed for an answer, Tatsuya himself would likely be unable to give a definitive reason. Rather than being annoyed by the man's power to oppose his own Mist Dispersion, Tatsuya was bothered by the similitude of their Psion signatures. Though that was only natural considering that their powers perfectly mirrored each other, the uncanny feeling of fighting someone who resembled himself to this extent frustrated him to no end. Whether his opponent wanted to or not, Tatsuya would rid him of his pathetic hood and reveal his identity … though he was secretly hesitant to confirm his doubts.

"It's fine Mayumi. I'm merely frustrated by the fact that his magic keeps interfering with my own."

"His … Mist Adhesion was it?"

"Exactly. However it seems that this magic is the only one he is capable of using. If you don't mind I'd prefer to face him alone."

Mayumi's puzzled expression changed into a slight frown.

"You are unexpectedly sadistic."

"Is that not to your liking Ojou-sama?"

"…"

Mayumi theatrically shrugged her shoulders as she stepped back to allow a certain mean person free reign. It seemed that Tatsuya had gotten a good grasp on her personality far too quickly. If she didn't step up her game, it would end up with her on the receiving end as opposed to the other way around.

Entrusting his back to the brooding "Ojou-sama" behind him, he would apologize eventually … maybe, Tatsuya once again faced the final Yotsuba magician remaining on the battlefield. Any and all tension that had previously weighed down their minds was now completely gone. Mayumi, Tatsuya, and the man himself all realized it.

He was no threat to them.

Tatsuya dissolved the handgun in his hand and exchanged the Data Chip with three others from his breast pocket. Naturally he hadn't had the time to go through the tedious effort of picking them up from the ground one by one after scattering them in his previous battle with Yaegashi, so he simply restored their Eidos to the point at which they had not yet left his breast pocket. Regrowth didn't only affect the physical state of an object, but also it's coordinates. Truly, this magic was worthy of the nickname he had been given by the invading Chinese Forces three years ago.

 _"_ _Mahesvara…"_

The name flashed through Tatsuya mind for no particular reason. Mahesvara was the name of one of the three great deities in Hinduism, one that was most commonly associated with transformation and destruction. As much as Tatsuya disliked that moniker, he admitted it to be strangely fitting.

With his left he transformed.  
With his right he destroyed.

Mist Dispersion and Regrowth together transformed the man named Shiba Tatsuya into the destructive deity called Mahesvara. Yet Mahesvara also bore another name: Shiva

Shiva and Shiba.  
Transformation and Destruction.  
Mist Dispersion and Regrowth.

Tatsuya could not contain a low chuckle, one that terrified his opposing foe to no end.

Truly, his nickname couldn't be any more fitting.

"You can either submit…", Tatsuya imposingly stated as he placed the Data Chips between the fingers of his left hand, "… or allow me the pleasure of retrieving the information I need myself."

Of course Tatsuya neither enjoyed nor was trained in the act of torture, but he deemed it appropriate to put up an act regardless.

The man's reaction was immediate.

Reaching behind his back, he pulled out two handguns and immediately opened fire on his assailants … at some point in time his status had changed from predator to prey.

 _"_ _It seems that he learned from last time…"_ , Tatsuya noted as he simply charged headfirst into the barrage of bullets; each and every one of them shot down by miniature ice pellets before they reaches his skin.

The man realized the pointlessness of his efforts immediately and accordingly replaced his guns with two combat knifes similar to Tatsuya's own. Seeing as he was still several paces away, Tatsuya activated his first Data Chip.

A light carbon-fiber throwing knife manifested in his hands before being coated in Contact-Type Disintegration Magic and swiftly launched at it's target in a straight path. The man raised his own two knives in a defensive position and invoked his unique Mist Adhesion Magic to disable the field of Mist Dispersion that coated the thrown projectile. He analyzed the composition of the Information Body. Memorized it's structure. Invoked his personalized Activation Sequence for Adhesive Magic. However, just when his Magic Calculation Area processed the Magic Sequence to cancel Tatsuya's Disintegration Magic … the target vanished.

Rather than being erased from existence, the Structural Information of the throwing knife was suddenly altered and changed into that of a small Data Chip.

The man flinched as the violent backlash caused to his Magic Calculation Area by the unnatural phenomena sent a painful jolt through his consciousness.

As if prearranged, Tatsuya reached the man at precisely that moment.

The two remaining Data Chips in his hands changed into a twin pair of kunai, one was acted upon by Flash-Casted Material Oscillation-Type Magic to enhance it's striking power while the other was heated up by Molecular Oscillation-Type Magic to increase it's penetrating power.

Two lines were drawn into the air by the afterimages of the twin blades as they shattered the knives in the Yotsuba magician's possession.

Tatsuya's kunais reached their expiration and reverted back into Storage Units, but Tatsuya tossed them at his opponent's chest nonetheless and used his freed palms to retrieve two more Data Chips from his pockets immediately after.

The man, mostly out of reflex, raised both of his arms to guard from the sudden throwing motion of Tatsuya's arms but was greeted only by two mere-

 _"_ _!?"_

He barely managed to catch one kunai with his left hand, but his sluggishly moving right arm halted the thrown projectile with it's flesh. How foolish of him. Simply because Tatsuya continued to switch Data Chips at a rapid pace didn't mean that he couldn't consecutively invoke them at short intervals.

While his foe cursed himself for his ignorance Tatsuya had already pressed on with his attack, leaving the new Storage Devices in his hands dormant for now and simply striking out at his opponent's left knee and upper body with a continues flow of kicks and punches. Neither Psions nor Magic enhanced his speed and strength. Tatsuya simply wanted to observe for now.

The interchange lasted for around ten seconds before Tatsuya confirmed his suspicion.

Tatsuya aimed a punch with his right hand at his enemy's abdomen, but the fist was caught in his foe's left palm.

Psions surged.

In less than the blink of an eye Tatsuya's fist suddenly held an upwards pointed handgun, a bullet following it's projection at a moments notice.

Though the man managed to dodge death out of sheer luck, panic and shock had caused his stance to crumble.

Tatsuya dropped low and positioned his left hand near his right waist.

What manifested this time was a katana.

It's end-cap shot out like a speeding bullet an dislocated the man's left kneecap before repositioning itself back at Tatsuya's hip once more.

An agonizing howl accompanied the Yotsuba magician's weak tumble, before Tatsuya used an improvised imitation of Iaido to split his opponent's right arm from fingertip to elbow.

No more sounds left the magician's strained throat this time; the pain he felt was clearly above the capabilities of his vocal cords. As he slumped backwards onto the ground, Tatsuya pinned the weakly twitching body into the ground by ramming the man's shattered knives into his right and left shoulders.

The interchange lasted barely a minute.

"You could have spared yourself the pain if you had only surrendered", Tatsuya coldly reminded him as he pressed down on his sternum with his knee, restraining him with his own body for good measure.

"Bastard… targeting my injuries on purpose…"

"Oh? I believe it is only natural for me to take advantage of those."

Pulling off the sleeve and bandages of the right harm he had beautifully bisected, Tatsuya revealed an unsightly appearance of muscles without skin. Needless to say, that injury was Tatsuya's responsibility; a wound he had inflicted on him when they had first met.

"You arrogant freak…", the hooded man spat full of spite.

"Freak? Out of the two of us, wouldn't you be the more likely candidate?"

This time the man remained silent, though Tatsuya felt the tension running through the body below him.

So he was really…

Tatsuya reached out with his right hand and pulled back the concealing hood.

His expression darkened immediately.

"To think the Yotsuba are even capable of such a thing."

"You're not surprised?"

"I am … though I'd be lying if I said I didn't expect this."

Laid out below him was the appearance of a man that could have easily passed as his brother. His hair was longer and his eyes wider, but the physical resemblance was striking nonetheless.

"… I guess 'brother' would be the most accurate classification for someone like you."

Remembering the conversation Tatsuya had with Miyuki not a few hours before, he unconsciously increased the weight on his "brother's" ribcage.

"Then you are the 'project' that cost Shiba Miya her life? "

"Every weapon needs a safety mechanism. Every machine an operator, and every monster a weakness. I'm simply an existence created to balance out the calamity that you personify."

"For a lab-rat you are quite talkative."

The man chuckled slightly despite pain crippling his nervous system.

"Then what does that make you?"

"…"

Tatsuya momentarily fell silent, much to the nameless man's satisfaction.

Did this man know about Tatsuya's birth? The reason for his exile?

"You…"

No.

His selfish intentions could wait until another time. What he needed now was information that benefited his friends rather than details relevant only to himself. Turning away from his curiosity, Tatsuya placed his palm on one of the daggers nailing the man to the ground.

"Why are the Yotsuba after my life?"

"What other reason is there but fear? You too are worried about the safety of your friends, are you not? Is that not the reason why you are after Maya-sama's life? Just like we are after your own?"

"I have no need for word games and philosophy. Answer my question."

"I already gave you your answer. Fear. Primal Fear. Existential Fear. The Yotsuba fear you Shiba Tatsuya. They fear for the survival of their people. Humans fear whatever existence stands above them, and you, you are something that towers even above that. For what reason do you think I was brought into existence? What purpose do I serve? You wanted an answer to your question? My answer is fear."

 _"_ _This isn't getting us anywhere…"_ , Tatsuya frowned.

That man's attitude annoyed him greatly.

"Then tell me where their hideout is."

"…"

Crushing down on his opponent's shoulder-joint with the broken knife, Tatsuya punished him for his silence.

"Where is Yotsuba Maya hiding?"

A sudden stream of Psions burst out from within the man's body, it's form so unfathomably complex that it neared the limit's of Tatsuya's comprehension. Information formed Structures. Structures formed Combinations. Combinations formed Programs, and these Programs intermingled to form a frighteningly convoluted Magic Sequence. This was Mist Adhesion it's purest form … it's most complex form.

The Eidos around Tatsuya changed … and he allowed them to.

They were neither taken apart, nor were they overwritten. Mist Adhesion was not capable of these things.

As opposed to the visible alterations brought forth by Disintegration and Restoration Magic, this particular Adhesive Magic targeted only a single aspect of the Eidos' Information Structure. Their coordinates.

The relative location of the Eidos around Tatsuya changed, isolated themselves from their neighboring Eidos, and instead reconnected with Eidos far away. During the assembling process Tatsuya allowed himself to diffuse his mind into the Information Dimension, aiming to chase after the torrent of change that assaulted the Eidos.

 _"_ _Nagano … no it's in the Yamanashi Prefecture…"_ , Tatsuya pinpointed the exact coordinates of the Yotsuba stronghold by following the coordinates of the Yotsuba magician's portal.

He now had all the information he needed.

Honestly, Tatsuya didn't expect his opponent to be so willing to open a portal himself, but it certainly saved him a lot of time. Desperation did many things to a man. Despite knowing that he wouldn't be able to move as long as Tatsuya continued to pin him down, he still carelessly opened the portal without-

 **[Self Restoration. Auto Start.]**

 **[Core Eidos Data. Read From Backup.]**

 **[Load Magic Sequence - Complete.]**

 **[Self Restoration - Complete.]**

Tatsuya barely regained his consciousness befo-

 **[Self Restoration. Auto Start.]**

 **[Core Eidos Data. Read From Backup.]**

 **[Load Magic Sequence - Complete.]**

 **[Self Restoration - Complete.]**

"Shit!"

Cursing underneath his breath, Tatsuya Flash Casted Movement-Type Magic without regard for the inertial damage to his body to catapult himself away from whatever demon had crept out from the Yotsuba's portal. His internal organs ripped due to the suicidal speed of the sudden acceleration, but he was at least able to glance at the incoming death before he was obliterated once more.

What filled his vision … was light.

 **[Self Restoration. Auto Start.]**

* * *

Angelic.

That was the only word capable of describing the brilliance unfolding before Fumiya's and Ayako's eyes.

They were currently standing in the observational platform of the 2nd Underground Training Hall of the Yotsuba Headquarters, a containment built to withstand extreme destructive conditions and to allow for testing the upper capabilities of Yotsuba magicians specializing in physical damage. Yotsuba Maya herself had previously measured the extent of her magic in this very room.

However.

Despite five Sakurai magicians having deployed a multi-layered thermal barrier to aid the protective shielding mechanism of the containment, the walls to the 3rd and 5th Training Halls were completely molten down while the divider to the 1st Training Hall was barely left intact. The magician responsible for this damage, a young caucasian woman, stood formidably in the very center of the explosive radius.

No. The term "explosion" was ill-fitting.  
After all, the excessive heat was but a byproduct of her magic.

Yotsuba Maya was crowned with the title of "The Strongest" thanks to her anti-personnel assassination magic "Meteor Stream". In it's field it was unparalleled, but compared to anti-army Strategic-Class Magics it was obviously inferior.

While this wasn't a division of "weak" and "strong" and merely a difference of a magic's nature, Maya wished to expand her reach nonetheless. However her Magic Calculation Area could not support an additional magic. Thus she took in a student.

The blonde standing amidst molten steel was the product of her efforts.

Her hair still fluttered in the winds caused by the invocation of the magic taught to her by Yotsuba Maya herself.

Maya's anti-personnel magic "Meteor Line" birthed the anti-army magic "Supernova".

In terms of destructive power alone, it was likely on par with or even eclipsed the USNA's "Heavy Metal Burst".

All five Sakurai Magicians simultaneously collapsed after canceling the thermal barrier and were immediately tended to by a prearranged medical team.

"Unbelievable…", Ayako muttered in amazement.

In contrast to Maya's magic, a devouring darkness, this magic was like enlightening divinity. While both of them called on light to eliminate their foes, Master and Student couldn't have been more unlike.

"Her name ... Atria was it? How oddly befitting of her to be named after the brightest star of a southern constellation."

"A star you say? I believed her name to come from her homeland instead."

Despite their feigned composure, the twin's exchange was merely a method to regain their wits. To witness a Strategic-Class Magic from such close range ... it would come to no surprise that the two adolescent youths needed a few moments to recollect themselves.

"Look. It seems he managed to escape."

Following the direction of her twin brother's index finger, Ayako noticed the bloodied figure of a man sprawled out right underneath where the portal had been a second ago.

"So he made it?"

"I doubt he managed to eliminate Shiba Tatsuya though … which means that he actually caused us more trouble by returning than by being defeated", turning on his heel, Fumiya was shadowed by his twin sister as they hurriedly exited the observation platform.

"What do you mean? Isn't he the only one who can lock down Shiba Tatsuya's abilities?"

"Yes… but that doesn't matter now that he led him right to our doorstep."

Ayako's eyes widened in shock as she understand the consequences of his return.

"We have to report to Maya-sama … and prepare for war."

* * *

The torrent of light ceased after Tatsuya's completed his 15th Auto-Restoration, the portal and it's creator disappearing with it.

Imprinted in his memory where 15 deaths.  
15 times his body was cleaved in half.  
15 times his flesh was rendered into ash.  
15 times he beheld the brilliance of a dying star.

Tatsuya staggered on his feet. His brain felt as if torn asunder by a swarm of carnivorous ants and while his body had returned to prime condition, he still felt the crackling of embers ignite his blood. Grasping his head in an effort to keep it from splitting apart, Tatsuya failed to keep his body upright and fell…

…but was supported by Mayumi's delicate frame. Immediately after, Tatsuya's forehead was comforted by a distinct coolness.

"Using magic for such a trivial pleasure… how unexpected of the eldest daughter of the Saegusa."

"I can stop if you are bothered by it."

"…", a mere sigh left Tatsuya's pained smile as he let himself be guided safely to the ground.

Continuing to support his muscular frame with her own even after he sat down, Mayumi spread her Oscillation-Type Cooling Magic to Tatsuya's temples. The relief of tension was practically visible.

"Tatsuya … are you alright?", Mayumi meekly inquired after glancing at his unscathed body.

"It's nothing serious don't worry about it. It's just that I've never used Auto-Restoration this often in such short intervals before … my headache will go away if I let my Magic Calculation Area rest for a while."

"Tatsuya, overusing your magic is no joke. Your body might be fine, but your abilities don't extend to your soul, do they?"

"… no. I can restore Eidos and Psions, but Pushions are outside my reach. Even if I can continue to restore my body to optimal condition, my Magic Calculation Area is bound to overheat if I depend on that gimmick too heavily. Auto-Restoration is different from simple Disintegration or Restoration Magic. While Mist Dispersion and Regrowth are simple processes that I can invoke simultaneously and repeatedly, Auto-Restoration requires the entirety of my Magic Calculation Area. Healing an arm or two is no problem, but to cheat death this often in such a short timeframe …"

"Then it's not physical, but spiritual decay that will kill you."

"Exactly. Let alone 15 times, I don't think I ever had to rely on Auto-Restoration more than twice in a single battle. A magic capable of such destruction … just what was on the other side of that portal?"

Neither Mayumi nor Tatsuya knew the answer to that question. While Tatsuya was swallowed by cascading light, Mayumi, who was on the other side of the portal, could only watch as the world before her was molten down into the charred wasteland before them. No trees, no rubble, not even the birds remained in it's aftermath. All that remained was a uniform plateau.

"That wasn't Yotsuba Maya's doing was it? Her 'Meteor Stream' shouldn't be capable of such destruction."

"No. This wasn't Yotsuba Maya's doing, nor that any of the recorded Strategic-Class Magicians."

Wavering between concern for Tatsuya and worry of the unknown, Mayumi continued on with a soft voice,

"Your Elemental Sight … did you manage to decipher that magic?"

"Nothing but glimpses. As I said, the entirety of my mind is needed for Auto-Restoration, so even if I tried to comprehend it, my mind would shut down almost immediately. From what I've seen it is built on the fundament of Maya's 'Meteor Stream' … so a Magic of the Convergence-Type…"

"I find it hard to believe that the Yotsuba were able to find someone with the ability to execute such a complex Magic Sequence."

"… true. While the initial step can be easily replicated by someone with the right affinity, the real challenge is the execution of the following processes…"

"Easily? Even I could hardly-"

Mayumi halted as soon as she noticed the change in Tatsuya's expression.

"Tatsuya. You don't intend to involve Mitsui in this, do you?"

"Hardly. I merely want to grant her the power she requested of me."

While Tatsuya undoubtedly spoke the truth, an ominous sense of foreboding settled in Mayumi's consciousness. Honoka was a descendant of the Elements of Light. Her skill in that field was unprecedented, and while she was naturally unsuited for combat, the idea of endowing her with a magic built on the foundations of Yotsuba Maya's Meteor Stream was … frightening. Mayumi herself could not explain why.

Tatsuya's information terminal chose that moment to receive an incoming call.

"Fujibayashi-san? … Yes I am alright. Neither me nor Mayumi are injured. … No, it's been severely damaged. … No, it was the enemy. I will disclose the details of that magic once I return. … Strategic-Class …Yes, I am sure. … They are alive. … Two of them. One managed to escape. … Yes, the Mist Adhesion user. … No, I spared the others. … Their skills would go to waste otherwise. … Whehter or not that is true doesn't matter. … An Element of Air and a Magnetism user. … No, he specialized in close-combat, but his magic would be equally as effective in long-range. … Yes, I will file a report once I return. … Yes. I understand."

Hanging up and returning the information terminal to his pocket, Tatsuya unsteadily rose back to his feet.

"Ah, are you alright Tatsuya?"

"I'm fine ... the headache will subside in time. Thank you for worrying about me."

"Then what did you talk with Kyouko-nee about?", despite Tatsuya's reassurance, Mayumi followed closely behind her patient's pace as he walked towards the sleeping bodies of their assailants.

"She will meet us an an alleyway close to our location to receive the captured magicians. Yaegashi and Himeko will be detained by the 101 Battalion for interrogation … and possibly rehabilitation."

"Rehabilitation?"

Crouching down to settle Yaegashi on his right shoulder, Tatsuya waved off Mayumi's attempt to carry Himeko by herself. Instead, he shouldered both of them on each side, a feat of physical endurance he was already used to under Kazama's command.

That didn't stop Mayumi from invoking Weight-Type Magic to lighten his load however.

"Yes. According to my knowledge neither of them were directly related to any members of the Yotsuba and were simply two of the many third party contractors employed by them. I've told this to Fujibayashi as well, but wasting their talent so readily is something a soldier such as myself am unable to accept."

"Hmmm...", Mayumi merely hummed in agreement as she continued to eye Tatsuya in between hushed glances.

Hiding a mischievous grin behind her delicate palm, Mayumi spun around in a (fake) display of bashfulness.

"Don't tell me that you couldn't bring yourself to kill them because me? How deviously charming of you Tatsuya~"

 _"She's back to her normal self again..."_ , Tatsuya wearily noted.

"… please don't flatter yourself. Himeko simply reminded me of Honoka that is all. The heritage of Elements is highly valued, and it isn't unlikely for Honoka to end up in criminal affairs if she isn't provided with sufficient protection, one that the Kitayama family is fortunately willing to provide."

Silence.

Tatsuya responded to Mayumi's teasing with a sharp remark of his own out of pure habit, yet didn't expect it to have any particular effect on her. Contrary to his belief however, she was visibly pouting in a manner that was both intimidating and … cute?

He immediately realized that he was in the wrong and hurriedly made amends before her mood worsened.

"In any case, I would have to gain Kasumi's and Izumi's favor before resuming my courtship of someone like yourself."

Needless to say, Tatsuya's light-hearted joke did little to brighten the mood.

Fujibayashi would continue to make fun of Tatsuya's poor choice of words from that day onwards.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Sorry about that ... not so smooth ending.  
I realize it was kinda abrupt and forced, but I had trouble ending it in the way I originally intended so I had to use this as an intermediary solution.

In any case, seeing as the story is slowly nearing it's climax, I am getting excited to finally put all the pieces on the board!


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note**

Phew, sorry for that short christmas break I took, but I'm now well rested and back in the game!  
Having used my spare time to catch up on the 16th Novel of the series, you could say that my enthusiasm was rekindled, or rather, reading it gave me some ideas for future events. Shibata Katsushige and Tsukuba Yuuka were unexpectedly engaging characters, so it would be a shame if they wouldn't make an appearance in a story centered around the Trepidation of the Yotsuba. To the conflict that is yet to come, I've added a few more players. ^^

Well then, enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Ancient Magic.

In comparison to Modern Magic which tended to focus solely on the manipulation of Eidos, Ancient Magic encompassed a wide scope of various fields, techniques, specializations, and capabilities.

That was only to be expected.  
After all, unlike Modern Magic which merely incorporated the study of the Systemized Four Great Systems and Eight Major Types of Magic, Ancient Magic boasted an exaggerated level of innumerable variability. Whether affected by religion, culture, or simply the whims of it's founder, each school of Ancient Magic was different from the next, with some schools even specialized in the merging of multiple systems into one. As such, the term "Ancient Magic" did not stand for a single system of magic, but rather was a beacon which united any and all ancient practices of the occult arts. Witchcraft, Ninjutsu, Spirit Manipulation, Shamanism, Onmyōdō, etc. Any and all of these were part of the greater classification known as "Ancient Magic". As such, the number of magic techniques available under such banner were practically endless, provided one was able to locate the appropriate practitioner of the magic technique one desired.

Purely considering the scope of their influence, the Yotsuba naturally had the means necessary to locate any magicians whose techniques they deemed desirable and subjugate them to their will. If they required the extermination of spiritual entities, a Spirit Magician would be summoned. If they required aid in the study of the manipulation of a magician's soul, an Ancient Magician appropriate for this task would be located. Such was the way of the Yotsuba, such was their power.

Naturally, if one needed a team of Ancient Magicians specialized in the erection of cognitive inhibitors, say a barrier in the middle of a city to hide an assassination from the public eye, the Yotsuba would undoubtedly be able to assemble such magicians in less than a day. As luck would have it, such an immaculate barrier was currently erected around a large park not too far away from the First National Magic University Affiliated High School in Hachioji. The barrier was perfect in almost any way … yet it possessed a single fatal flaw.

Due to the nature of cognitive barriers, especially those of such exaggerated size, their effects would diminish as soon as one would become aware of their existence. Seeing as the barrier would already mask it's presence from unrelated onlookers to begin with, such weakness was trivial. However. If someone was purposefully searching for an anomaly, one would naturally be immune to it's effects even after it's creation. Unknown to the Ancient Magicians that had painfully erected their masterpiece, two innocent bystanders had become aware of the barrier, and in turn, had witnessed the entirety of the fight it had aimed to conceal.

One was the treasured child of a wealthy family.  
The other was an individual, holding within her a potential yet to be discovered.

One was named Kitayama Shizuku.  
The other … was enraptured by the dazzling light that filled her vision.

They were currently witnessing the conclusion of Tatsuya's gruesome battle, one in which they witnessed his combative cold-heartedness for the very first time. Though they had grown up with him ever since he had come to the Kitayama Family with the proposal to fund his research, an event several years in the past by now, they had been oblivious to his military background.

All along he had kept his true occupation a secret from them. To them, he had been the doting older brother anybody could have wished for. To one of them in particular, he had been someone she could devote her entirety to.

To devote herself to him.  
To be useful to him.  
To serve him.  
To become his.  
To dedicate herself to him.  
That was the prayer that had been lingering in her heart.

She did not care if these feelings of hers were the dreadful legacy of her Element ancestry.  
These were the truthful whispers of her heart, the most treasured emotions she cherished in the most secure part of her soul.

So why…

…why was he…

"Honoka?", Shizuku worriedly called out to her most valued childhood friend.

A vivd stream of tears ran down Honoka's cheeks and moistened the hands she had painfully clutched in front of her chest. Her gaze was unwavering, yet the pupils in her eyes shivered with intensity. It was only after taking in Honoka's appearance that Shizuku noticed that she herself had a single streak of a tear carved into her cheek. The fingers that she had intended to put on Honoka's shoulder were instead clasped on her chest, above her pounding heart.

 _"_ _This pain…"_

Shizuku glanced back towards the bloodied carnage carried out by Tatsuya.

 _"…_ _does Honoka feel it too?"_

Any normal individual would have perhaps been appalled by Tatsuya's relentless brutality on the battlefield. In fact, even Shizuku and Honoka were initially taken aback when the fight had just begun. They were shocked, brought close to vomiting by the spray of blood and stench of burnt flesh … but that wasn't the source of their discomfort.

Tatsuya was too perfect a person.

Let alone his analytical ability and photographic memory, his physical finesse was on a level far beyond that of olympic athletes. But above all, it was the aura of reassurance he emitted that had convinced Shizuku and Honoka that he was special. For him to simply be an ordinary high-school student living and everyday life, such a thing was even more unbelievable than the massacre unfolding before their very eyes.

No. The scene itself was not the stake that violently bore into their hearts, but rather, it were the players acting out the scene. To be specific, one player in particular.

Tatsuya was too perfect a person.  
If such a person was ever troubled by anything, ordinary people like Shizuku and Honoka couldn't ever hope to be of use. They knew that. Though they were saddened by their uselessness, they were painfully aware of that fact. They knew that Tatsuya was hiding his current troubles from them. They could see it in his eyes, notice it form his tense behavior, feel it from the overly protective way he treated them. They knew that … and they hated it.

Precisely because of that…

"Why…"

Though the tears distorted her vision into a misty haze, Honoka could still make out the silhouette of the person standing by Tatsuya's side.

"So why is she with him?"

Honoka's heart twitched by the mere mention of Saegusa Mayumi. Why did Tatsuya rely on somebody other but them?

They were powerless compared to her.  
They knew that!

She was a member of the Ten Master Clans.  
They knew that!

She was strong. Stronger than them. Strong enough to stand next to Tatsuya and help him with his troubles.  
… that too … they knew all too well.

However.

Despite everything.

Why?

Why…

"Why does it hurt so much?"

Honoka's weak knees trembled, causing her to lean against her reliable friend's shoulder. Yet, only after her body pressed against Shizuku's did Honoka become aware that Shizuku too was leaning on her.

They shared their anguish, shared their powerlessness.  
More than anybody, they wanted to help Tatsuya. They wanted to aid him.  
More than anybody, they were helplessly unqualified to do so.

Then.

In that very moment.

A bright light engulfed their vision.

An iridescence so pure that it was free of any color.

A luminescence so vast that they were lost in it's splendor.

 _"_ _That…"_

Both Shizuku and Honoka were captivated by the power presented before them.

 _"_ _If we had that…"_

Their hearts throbbed once more in unison. Not in anguish this time, nor due to sorrow. This time, their hearts sang of hope.

 _"…_ _with power like that, we could stand at Tatsuya's side."_

In the deepest part of Honoka's soul, deeper even than her conscious mind allowed her to access… as Honoka witnessed the purest form of light …the cogwheels of her soul began to turn.

* * *

"It's unexpectedly luxurious~", Mayumi whistled as she stepped into Tatsuya's two-story penthouse suite.

After entrusting Yaegashi and Himeko to Fujibayashi, Tatsuya had invited Mayumi to his home, saying that he wanted her advice on a project he had been working on in his private study. Having gotten over her tense mood, Mayumi saw no reason to deny.

"Please don't look at me like that, this needless extravagance is only thanks to Kitayama Ushio's generosity … though it would be a lie if I said I wasn't grateful for it."

"Ooh~"

Confused as to how to reply to Mayumi's smile, Tatsuya averted his gaze and headed towards the kitchen.

"Is green tea alright? I'm sorry, but that is all that I have to offer."

"Please don't mind me. I'll have whatever you are having."

"Coffee then?"

"… maybe just water after all?"

Tatsuya stayed his hand from grinding the coffee beans as he shot Mayumi a quizzical glance. In response, Mayumi started to play with a lock of her hair as she leaned against the counter.

"I'm the type of person that cannot sleep well after they drink coffee in the afternoon."

"How unexpected."

"Is it?"

Taking a second to consider her inquiry, Tatsuya realized that it wasn't actually all that rare for a person to have a bad affinity with caffeine.

 _"…_ _I'm acting weird."_

Tatsuya self-evaluated himself after realizing that it wasn't like him to ponder about such useless topics. Naturally it wasn't every day that his mind was brought to a spinning mess after being forced to continuously Auto-Regenerate fifteen times, but something told him that his behavior was motivated by other factors. Was it Mayumi's presence then?

 _"…"_

Tatsuya caught himself thinking about useless matters again. Maybe his exhaustion really did catch up to him…

"No … not really I guess. In any case, as I'll be heating up water for my coffee regardless, preparing some tea would be of no issue."

"I'll be in your care then", Mayumi sheepishly grinned as she made her confession.

 _"_ _If you wanted tea then you should have just said so from the very beginning…"_ , Tatsuya sighed as she finished preparing his and Mayumi's cup and put them on a tray along with some light snacks.

Guiding her to the second floor on which his workshop was located, Tatsuya addressed the reason why he had invited her in the first place.

"Mayumi, as a Saegusa you are a magician created by the joint research of the 3rd and 7th Magic Research Institutes, is that correct?"

"We originally belonged to the 3rd, but yes, we possess traits of both Research Centers. However, seeing as we only moved to the 7th Institute at a later time our traits from the 3rd are more expressed."

"No that is fine. In the first place I have little use for the 'Herd Control' Magic of the 7th Institute, but the 3rd's 'Multi-Cast' is a different story."

"Tatsuya… I'm just confirming, but you are aware that it is practically impossible for other magicians to use our research, right? Mutations and other exceptions aside, even someone as extraordinary as yourself wouldn't be able to simply 'learn' Multi-Cast even if I explained it to you."

Tatsuya gave off a soft chuckle as he heard Mayumi's reasonable concern. Anybody else listening would have made a similar assumption based on how Tatsuya had phrased his words, so it was only natural that Mayumi was likewise confused. Setting down the tray on a table next to his office desk, Tatsuya powered up the monitor to allow it time to complete the start up process. Though modern technology had advanced to a level that powering up computing devices would only take a few seconds, Tatsuya had a myriad of encryption keys and other safety measures installed on his computer due to the sensitive content he dealt with on a daily basis. As such, starting up his computer required a few more seconds.

"That is not my intention, though you aren't completely wrong with the notion of me wanting to learn the details of 'Multi-Cast'."

Having taken her cup in her hands, Mayumi pierced Tatsuya with a slightly annoyed glare. Much like the day before, it had ended up with him explaining things to her again … which was a power dynamic she wasn't completely used to.

"To but it simply, I wish to integrate the concept of 'Multi-Cast' into a Sequence I am developing."

"To capture a 'trait' … no, to quantify an 'ability' and put these numerical values into a formula? That is as if saying that you want to create a medicine that bestows intelligence. No matter how you look at it, it's impossible."

"But I want to attempt it regardless."

"You…"

 _"…_ _you're not serious are you?"_ , the latter half of her gasp was left unspoken, but the connotation was clearly perceived by the man in question.

He himself knew how outrageous is claim was, but without the research of the 3rd Magic Research Institute, his Magic Sequence would remain incomplete. After all, the magic he was currently working on was one of extraordinary complexity. Realizing that Tatsuya wasn't joking, Mayumi bit down on one of the snacks to alleviate her stress.

"…fine then. At least tell me what exactly it is you are trying to do."

"Of course. Seeing as you yourself have been in contact with it, I think it should be easy for you to understand. Do you recall Yotsuba Maya's 'Meteor Stream'?"

Mayumi tensely nodded.

"In essence, 'Meteor Stream' is a magic of the Convergent-Type due to the emphasis placed on compressing all light into multiple tiny spheres and connecting those with the light that each of them contain. By itself it is a perfectly adequate magic capable of robbing a target's sight and burning their bodies with the high concentration of focused light, though it could be easily countered by light-refracting or heat-resistant barriers if that were the case. The true dread comes from a process identical to my own magic. Decomposition."

"Yes, I could sense the activation of another magic during that time…"

"Precisely. Using the light as it's medium, Maya is able to disintegrate anything and everything that her light touches. Whether it's physical or magical barriers, mirrors or flesh. Even glass is likely to be pierced. Maya's 'Meteor Stream' borders on the definition of a Conceptional Magic, seeing how the concept of 'light passing through' is absolute. Regardless if light is actually capable of passing through a certain object, the mere concept of the fact that 'light must pass through' along with the process of Disintegration Magic is enough to allow her light to pierce anything it touches. That is the reason why her magic is so powerful, the reason why it is so difficult to replicate."

"Then what you are trying to do is create another Conceptual Magic to rival hers?"

"Hardly. In the first place, Conceptual Magics aren't created by the engineer, but rather by the magicians themselves. Magicians affect reality by rewriting the Eidos associated with reality. These commands are issued by psions, and psions are the conceptualized particles of thought. In a loose sense, a magicians will is therefore capable of changing his perceivable reality … though that is already a very vague description of the magic invocation process."

"Then what you are trying to say is that rather than a Conceptualized Magic being created by an engineer, it is the will of the magician that turns an ordinary magic into a Conceptualized Magic?"

"… we're being rather free with the definition of what we call Magic, but let's go with that for now. What you said is partially correct. By a magician's own will and effort, a seemingly ordinary magic can be turned into a Conceptualized Magic due to the fact that his Interference Strength begins to grow stronger than the Resistance of the World, or rather the natural desire of the World to erase any inaccuracies. As a magicians, we constantly change the informational structure that makes up the world, and as such, we are constantly tipping the scales of a perfectly balanced closed system. For example, by using Oscillation-Type Magic to cool a room, we decrease the available energy in the World by robbing it of it's heat. Similarly, by heating up a room, we create a surplus of energy. It is because of this that most magics are not permanent, seeing as they directly interfere with physical laws in ways that are generally unachievable without magic."

"Then your Regrowth is free of this influence because it doesn't change the object itself, but merely the point in time it has been in, is that correct?"

"Exactly. If my body was burnt, the heat used to burn my body is also reverted back into it's previous state. If my body is pierced, the projectile is removed and returned to the world. Nothing is erased, nor is anything created by my magic, and it is therefore able to permanently affect the physical world without being subjected to the self-correcting properties of the World."

Seeing as he had gone a bit off topic, Tatsuya casually shrugged his shoulders and continued on with his lecture.

"In any case, a Conceptual Magic is basically a magic that eclipses the World's Resistance with the user's Interference Strength strengthened by years of repetitive experience and effort. The user must essentially know without a doubt that the phenomena he is imagining will absolutely come into fruition. His magic will overwrite reality, nay, it will became reality itself, and will therefore surpass the original capabilities of it's use."

"Isn't that … impressive? To shape reality to one's will?"

"In theory it is, but remember, we've been disregard plenty of factors for the sake of this discussion. In the first place, to train one's mind to this extent could take years, several lifetimes even. A single failure and you would never again be able to use the magic with the same confidence as before. Conceptualized Magics are without a doubt the physical imprints of a magicians dream, his will. They are as impossible to achieve as they are frighteningly powerful. Let alone the whole world, I believe the only one in Japan who has achieved this level is the eldest son of the Chiba. Chiba Toshikazu."

"Chiba? Speaking of which, might you be referring to his 'Tetsuzan'?"

"Precisely. Though the magic that is usually applied to his sword is simply a Systematic Movement-Type Magic meant to guide the arc of the blade, his vast experience and continuous practice allowed him to ascend this magic to the level of a Conceptualized Magic. Rather than to guide the arc of his blade, this magic is now endowed with the concept of 'the blade must complete it's arc', and therefore cuts through any hindrances in it's path to fulfill this truth. In the many years I've spent with the JSDF, I've only once seen this magic in action."

"Is Maya's magic truly a Conceptualized Magic then?"

"That I don't know myself. The concept of 'light must pass through' is undoubtedly present, but I do not know to which extent. Regardless, seeing as it poses no threat if countered by my Gram Dispersion there is no use in worrying about it."

"Hmmm~", Mayumi hummed as she took the last sip of her tea, "so about your project?"

"Right. Essentially what I am trying to create is a magic inspired by Yotsuba Maya's own. Though…", Tatsuya chuckled, much to Mayumi's surprise, "…it is ironic that Maya herself has already bested me in that very attempt."

"To recreate Yotsuba Maya's 'Meteor Stream'!? How?"

"As I said, the basic processes are rather simple. Excluding the final phase in which Disintegration Magic is implemented, this magic is purely of the Convergence-Type."

"You say simple but … I doubt even the Ichijou or the Juumonji would be able to replicate the converging process of light. Let alone innumerable orbs, I wouldn't be able to construct just one!"

"Which is why I am changing the shape of the convergence. The orbs by themselves, as well as the light drawn between them, are able to burn wood at best. While this level of exposure might also be effective against organic tissue, simple Oscillation-Type Magic could replicate that damage with a fraction of the effort involved. Therefore, it is not orbs I am aiming for, but this."

Tapping the Silica Force-Feedback Touch Panel attached to his monitor, Tatsuya pulled up a virtual simulation of his developed Sequence. In the ensuing silence, only Mayumi's gasp was discernible.

"Though some adjustments still need to be made, I will base the main program on the convergent process of 'Meteor Stream' as well as the magic we were attacked with today. That Strategic-Class Magic is undoubtedly a magic born from Yotsuba Maya's own, and it ironically resembles the magic I've developed so far. By using that magic as a reference I would likely be able to compete this Sequence by tonight … though I would require your assistance for that."

Mayumi still remained silent. Rather than choosing not to reply, the lingering shock of the virtual demonstration didn't allow her to recover her wits.

"The 3rd Institute's 'Multi-Cast' allows the user to simultaneously activate and control multiple magic processes at the same time, so by reversing the process, it should technically be feasible to split a single magic into separate magics to make it easier to handle. Whehter or not this is by sheer coincidence, your own sisters prove this theory with their unique 'Resonate' ability, which is the complete opposite of their inherent trait of 'Multi-Cast'. The ability to split a magic and allow multiple magicians to share it's burden by activating it separately and simultaneously, that is my goal. Otherwise…"

"…it's impossible", Mayumi breathlessly muttered, "It's just that. Impossible. Let alone my earlier concern about converging light into a single orb, for somebody … anybody to calculate this formula is … it's impossible."

"Which is why I need to separate the Convergence-Type System from the Movement and Acceleration-Type Systems."

"Wha-… Tatsuya, how do you expect any magician… how do you expect a human to process this Sequence!?"

"I don't. I don't ever plan on releasing this Sequence, nor do I plan on letting anybody else know of it. I was simply tasked to create this magic, and I need your knowledge to complete it."

"Tasked… you don't mean?!"

"Yes, Kitayama Shizuku, my employer, tasked me with creating a magic. However, I have no intention of passing this magic onto her."

"Shizuku-chan and Honoka-chan… Tatsuya! They are high-school students! What you are creating is magic at the level of Strategic-Class!"

"Hence my unwillingness to let them know of this."

"But… I-it's not even possible… How would Shizuku alone ever be able to handle this process?"

"Not alone."

"I… What?"

"Not alone. My task was to create a magic that would allow for the both of them to become stronger. Neither of them should carry this burden alone. This magic is designed for the both of them. The first half for Honoka, the second for Shizuku. My interest in your sister's 'Resonance' ability is precisely because I want to split this magic between the two of them. With Honoka's Element ancestry and Shizuku's talent of Vibration-Type Magic, I am sure they would be capable of mastering this magic."

"You… that is …"

Mayumi didn't know whether to be frightened of Tatsuya's brilliance, to be stunned by his care for the two girls, or to be amazed by the fact that … with Honoka's inherent talent … this magic might just be possible.

"Just to confirm, but you must never speak of this to either Honoka or Shizuku. They have entrusted me with this task, so I will fulfill it. This will be an emergency measure in the case that I am unable to defeat the Yotsuba, but it will otherwise remain hidden."

"I… of course."

"In that case, let us proceed. It would be rude of me to keep you here for too long. I'll try my best to finish this Sequence as soon as possible."

"Ah-… no don't mind me. Seeing as we were expecting an attack today to begin with, I told my family that I would be coming home late due to Student Council business. In any case, what … what is that magic called?"

"A name?"

Tatsuya crossed his arms in thought after providing Mayumi with a chair close to his own. Seeing as they would be working together for a while, it would be rude not to offer her a place to sit.

"Solely judging by it's appearance, how about…"

While pondering about a possible name, Tatsuya recalled the magic that had struck him down not a few hours ago. That magic was brilliant, powerful, but above all, brimming with energy. It was the magical might of an exploding star, a magic that could best be likened to the unfathomable power of a "Supernova".

If so, then this magic would be the shadow that hungrily devoured the light, the blade of darkness which didn't allow for the sun's light to exist. In that case, this magic should be called…

"… Eclipse."


End file.
